Attentional Control in Preschoolers With and Without SLI

描述（由申请人提供）：该申请以一个理论框架为指导，假设具有典型语言技能的儿童应用一般认知资源，如注意力，来促进语言习得，而这些过程中的限制可能导致语言技能低下。从这个角度来看，对表现出语言障碍的儿童的注意力功能的研究将对这一理论和理解障碍的本质都有价值。然而，关于特殊语言障碍儿童注意功能的研究很少，只有几个方面的注意力得到了解决。此外，虽然学龄儿童有特殊语言障碍的研究，但对学龄前特殊语言障碍儿童的注意功能评估还没有。这很可能是由于年轻时用于评估注意力技能的方法固有的局限性。本应用程序的目的是扩展先前在学龄前儿童中成功使用的方法，以研究注意力控制的选定方面，包括注意力分散、抑制控制和错误监测。这项工作，连同先前的一项关于持续注意力的研究，旨在确定患有特殊语言障碍的儿童的注意力的特定子成分是否较弱。这项工作是解决注意如何影响语言习得的长期目标的先决条件。此外，所提出的方法有可能为早期诊断注意力困难提供改进的程序，而不管语言状况如何。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application is guided by a theoretical framework positing that children with typical language skills apply general cognitive resources, such as attention, to facilitate language acquisition, and limitations in these processes may contribute to poor language skills. From this perspective, the study of attentional functioning of children who exhibit difficulty with language would have value for both informing this theory and for understanding the nature of the disorder. However, research on attentional functioning of children with specific language impairment (SLI) is scarce, and only a few facets of attention have been addressed at all. In addition, although school-age children with SLI have been studied, the assessment of attentional functioning in preschoolers with SLI has not. This is likely the result the limitations inherent to the methods used for evaluating attentional skills at younger ages. The purpose of this application is to extend a method previously used successfully with preschool children to study selected aspects of attentional control including distractibility, inhibitory control, and error monitoring. This work, along with a previous study on sustained attention, is intended to determine whether specific subcomponents of attention are weak for children with SLI. This work is a prerequisite for a long term goal of addressing how attention may affect language acquisition in SLI. Furthermore, the methodology proposed has the potential to offer improved procedures for diagnosing attentional difficulties at an early age, regardless of language status.