Exemplar Variability in Cross-Situational Word Learning Among Young Autistic Children

项目总结/摘要 在自闭症儿童中，单词学习困难是很常见的。如果不解决这些问题， 挑战会对孩子的沟通和学业成功产生负面影响。确定适当 早期干预的策略，它是至关重要的，首先要了解潜在的机制字学习， 这个高度异质的族群根据以前的工作，一个机制，可用于老年自闭症儿童 跨情境学习（CSL）。然而，ASD患者中单词学习困难的患病率较高，这表明 在现实世界中，仍有未知因素限制儿童有效使用CSL的能力的可能性 语言环境。一种可能性是自闭症儿童在CSL的早期发展中表现出延迟 对单词学习产生了连锁反应。以前的研究结果表明，年龄较大的自闭症儿童可以使用 CSL学习单词，但这种机制尚未在学龄前自闭症儿童中进行过研究。采用 一个边看边听的眼动跟踪范例，拟议项目的具体目标1（研究1）将 在一组较年轻的儿童（2至4岁）中研究CSL。第二种可能性是之前的CSL研究 没有反映出儿童自然语言环境的挑战。之前的研究需要儿童 仅将一个示例图像与每个标签相关联，而在现实世界的学习情况下， 会遇到许多不同的物体，它们都被赋予了相同的标签。为了在这些背景下支持单词学习， 神经型（NT）儿童倾向于根据形状对物体进行分类（称为形状偏见）。学前教育-和 学龄期自闭症儿童与NT同龄人没有这种倾向。如果没有形状偏差， 自闭症儿童在遇到单词学习困难时， 相同的标记和形状但在其他感知特征上不同（即，颜色）。具体目标2（研究2）将 考察样例变异性对中国英语学习中新词汇的影响， 自闭症儿童和语言匹配的NT同龄人。最后，具体目标3（研究3）将检查儿童 与ASD中CSL任务性能相关的特征。通过检查自闭症学龄前儿童的能力， 通过CSL在更小的年龄和跨变量样本学习单词，拟议的项目将阐明 这一人群在词汇学习方面的潜在弱点。研究结果将推动NIDCD 通过加深对自闭症谱系障碍语言机制及其不同功能的了解来制定战略计划 在个体儿童和环境背景下，包括治疗刺激在内的临床意义 选择和建立CSL原则，作为未来干预措施的基础。培训计划。申请人的 培训将侧重于获得语言学习过程中的新方法和概念知识， 眼动追踪法，平移实验设计，初级研究者指导，跨学科 合作，道德和负责任的研究行为。

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Word-learning difficulties are common among young autistic children. If unaddressed, these early challenges can negatively affect children’s communicative and academic success. To determine appropriate strategies for early intervention, it is essential to first understand the mechanisms underlying word learning in this highly heterogenous population. Based on previous work, one mechanism available to older autistic children is cross-situational learning (CSL). However, the higher prevalence of word-learning difficulties in ASD suggests the possibility of remaining unknown factors limiting children’s ability to make efficient use of CSL in real-world language environments. One possibility is that autistic children demonstrate delays in early development of CSL with cascading consequences for word learning. Previous findings indicate that older autistic children can use CSL to learn words, but this mechanism has not yet been examined in preschool-age autistic children. Employing a Looking-While-Listening eye-tracking paradigm, Specific Aim 1 (Study 1) of the proposed project will investigate CSL in a younger group of children (2- to 4-years old). A second possibility is that prior CSL studies have not reflected the challenges of children’s natural language environments. Previous studies required children to associate only one exemplar image with each label, whereas in real-world learning situations children encounter many different objects that are all given the same label. To support word learning in these contexts, neurotypical (NT) children tend to categorize objects based on shape (known as the shape bias). Preschool- and school-age autistic children do not share this tendency with NT peers. Without a shape bias, we might expect autistic children to experience word learning difficulties when multiple exemplars are presented matching the same label and shape but varying across other perceptual features (i.e., color). Specific Aim 2 (Study 2) will examine the impact of exemplar variability on novel words in the context of CSL and ostensive training tasks in young autistic children and language-matched NT peers. Finally, Specific Aim 3 (Study 3) will examine child characteristics associated with CSL task performance in ASD. By examining autistic preschool children’s ability to learn words via CSL at a younger age and across variable exemplars, the proposed project will elucidate potential points of vulnerability in word learning for this population. Study findings will advance the NIDCD strategic plan by increasing our understanding of language mechanisms in ASD and how they function differently across individual children and environmental contexts, with clinical implications including therapy stimuli selection and establishing CSL principles as a foundation for future interventions. Training Plan. The applicant’s training will focus on acquiring new methodological and conceptual knowledge in language-learning processes, eye-tracking methods, translational experimental design, mentorship of junior researchers, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and ethical and responsible conduct of research.