Triggering word learning in children with Language Impairment: the effect of phonotactic probability and neighbourhood density*. Issue 6 (November 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: MCKEAN, CRISTINA; LETTS, CAROLYN; HOWARD, DAVID
• Is Part Of: Journal of child language. Volume 41:Issue 6(2014)
• Page Start: 1224
• Page End: 1248
• Publication Date: 2014-11
• Subjects: Children -- Language -- Periodicals; 401.9305
• DOI: 10.1017/S0305000913000445
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0305-0009

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="normal"> <title>ABSTRACT</title> <p>The effect of phonotactic probability (PP) and neighbourhood density (ND) on triggering word learning was examined in children with Language Impairment (3;04–6;09) and compared to Typically Developing children. Nonwords, varying PP and ND orthogonally, were presented in a story context and their learning tested using a referent identification task. Group comparisons with receptive vocabulary as a covariate found no group differences in overall scores or in the influence of PP or ND. Therefore, there was no evidence of atypical lexical or phonological processing. 'Convergent' PP/ND (High PP/High ND; Low PP/Low ND) was optimal for word learning in both groups. This bias interacted with vocabulary knowledge. 'Divergent' PP/ND word scores (High PP/Low ND; Low PP/High ND) were positively correlated with vocabulary so the 'divergence disadvantage' reduced as vocabulary knowledge grew; an interaction hypothesized to represent developmental changes in lexical–phonological processing linked to the emergence of phonological representations.</p> </abstract>