Relationship between early phonological processing and later phonological awareness: Evidence from nonword repetition

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 319-346
Author(s):  
Michelle E. Erskine ◽  
Benjamin Munson ◽  
Jan R. Edwards
Keyword(s):  
Speech Perception ◽  
Phonological Awareness ◽  
Phonological Processing ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Nonword Repetition ◽  
Implicit Measure ◽  
Phonotactic Probability ◽  
Testing Period ◽  
Repetition Task ◽  
Speech Perception And Production

AbstractThis study investigated whether individual differences in receptive vocabulary, speech perception and production, and nonword repetition at age 2 years, 4 months to 3 years, 4 months predicted phonological awareness 2 years later. One hundred twenty-one children were tested twice. During the first testing period (Time 1), children’s receptive vocabulary, speech perception and production, and nonword repetition were measured. Nonword repetition accuracy in the present study was distinct from other widely used measures of nonword repetition in that it focused on narrow transcription of diphone sequences in each nonword that differed systematically in phonotactic probability. At the second testing period (Time 2), children’s phonological awareness was measured. The best predictors of phonological awareness were a measure of speech production and a measure of phonological processing derived from performance on the nonword repetition task. The results of this study suggest that nonword repetition accuracy provides an implicit measure of phonological skills that are indicative of later phonological awareness at an age when children are too young to perform explicit phonological awareness tasks reliably.

scholarly journals Nonword repetition depends on the frequency of sublexical representations at different grain sizes: evidence from a multi-factorial analysis

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jakub M. Szewczyk ◽  
Marta Marecka ◽  
Shula Chiat ◽  
Zofia Wodniecka
Keyword(s):  
Language Impairment ◽  
Phonological Processing ◽  
Specific Language Impairment ◽  
Nonword Repetition ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Phonotactic Probability ◽  
Grain Sizes ◽  
Comprehensive Examination ◽  
Phonological Complexity ◽  
Repetition Task

The nonword repetition task (NWR) has been widely used in basic cognitive and clinical research, as well as in clinical assessment, and has been proposed as a clinical marker for Specific Language Impairment (SLI). Yet the mechanisms underlying performance on this task are not clear. This study offers insights into these mechanisms through a comprehensive examination of item-related variables identified in previous research as possibly contributing to NWR scores and through testing the predictive power of each in relation to the others. A unique feature of the study is that all factors are considered simultaneously. Fifty-seven typically developing children were tested with a NWR task containing 150 nonwords differing in length, phonotactic probability, lexical neighbourhood, and phonological complexity. The results indicate that phonological processing of novel words draws on sublexical representations at all grain sizes and that these representations are phonological, unstructured and insensitive to morphemehood. We propose a novel index – mean ngram frequency of all phonemes – that best captures the extent to which a nonword draws on sublexical representations. The study demonstrates the primacy of sublexical representations in NWR performance with implications for the nature of the deficit in SLI.

Nonword repetition and young children's receptive vocabulary: A longitudinal study

2001 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 441-469 ◽  
Author(s):  
JUDITH A. BOWEY
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Phonological Processing ◽  
Verbal Ability ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Nonword Repetition ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Phonological Sensitivity ◽  
Processing Ability ◽  
And Performance

A longitudinal study investigated the claim that phonological memory contributes to vocabulary acquisition in young children. In the first phase, children were given tests of receptive vocabulary, receptive grammar, nonword repetition, phonological sensitivity (or “awareness”), and performance IQ. In the second phase, children were given the nonword repetition and receptive vocabulary tests. In Session 1, both nonword repetition and phonological sensitivity accounted for variation in receptive vocabulary and grammar after performance IQ effects were controlled. When phonological sensitivity was also controlled, nonword repetition did not account for significant additional variation in receptive vocabulary and grammar. When performance IQ and autoregression effects were controlled, all Session 1 verbal ability measures predicted Session 2 vocabulary, but only Session 1 vocabulary predicted Session 2 nonword repetition. When phonological sensitivity was also controlled, Session 1 nonword repetition (leniently scored) predicted Session 2 vocabulary. Overall, these findings show qualified support for the claim that the capacity component of nonword repetition contributes directly to vocabulary in young children. They suggest that the association between nonword repetition and vocabulary in young children may, to a substantial extent, reflect a latent phonological processing ability that is also manifest in phonological sensitivity.

scholarly journals Triggering word learning in children with Language Impairment: the effect of phonotactic probability and neighbourhood density

2013 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 1224-1248 ◽  
Author(s):  
CRISTINA MCKEAN ◽  
CAROLYN LETTS ◽  
DAVID HOWARD
Keyword(s):  
Word Learning ◽  
Language Impairment ◽  
Phonological Processing ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Phonotactic Probability ◽  
Phonological Representations

ABSTRACTThe 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.

scholarly journals A Prosodically Controlled Word and Nonword Repetition Task for 2- to 4-Year-Olds

2004 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 223-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Penny Roy ◽  
Shula Chiat
Keyword(s):  
Developmental Change ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Nonword Repetition ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
Prosodic Structure ◽  
School Age ◽  
Very Young Children ◽  
Language Difficulties ◽  
Repetition Task

An association has been found between nonword repetition and language skills in school-age children with both typical and atypical language development (C. Dollaghan & T. F. Campbell, 1998; S. Ellis Weismer et al., 2000; S. E. Gathercole & A. D. Baddeley, 1990; J. W. Montgomery, 2002). This raises the possibility that younger children's repetition performance may be predictive of later language deficits. In order to investigate this possibility, it is important to establish that elicited repetition with very young children is both feasible and informative. To this end, a repetition task was designed and carried out with 66 children between 2 and 4 years of age. The task consisted of 18 words and 18 matched nonwords that were systematically manipulated for length and prosodic structure. In addition, an assessment of receptive vocabulary was administered. The repetition task elicited high levels of response. Total scores as well as word and nonword scores were sensitive to age. Lexical status and item length affected performance regardless of age: Words were repeated more accurately than nonwords, and 1-syllable items were repeated more accurately than 2-syllable items, which were in turn repeated more accurately than 3-syllable items. The effect of prosodic structure was also significant. Whole syllable errors were almost exclusive to unstressed syllables, with those preceding stress being most vulnerable. Performance on the repetition task was significantly correlated with performance on the receptive vocabulary test. This repetition task effectively elicited responses from most of the 2- to 4-year-old participants, tapped developmental change in their repetition skills, and revealed patterns in their performance; and thus it has the potential to identify deficits in very early repetition skills that may be indicative of wider language difficulties.

scholarly journals Vocabulary Facilitates Speech Perception in Children With Hearing Aids

2017 ◽  
Vol 60 (8) ◽  
pp. 2281-2296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelsey E. Klein ◽  
Elizabeth A. Walker ◽  
Benjamin Kirby ◽  
Ryan W. McCreery
Keyword(s):  
Speech Perception ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Age Of Acquisition ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Signal To Noise ◽  
Phonotactic Probability ◽  
Phonological Structure ◽  
Vocabulary Skills ◽  
Monosyllabic Words

Purpose We examined the effects of vocabulary, lexical characteristics (age of acquisition and phonotactic probability), and auditory access (aided audibility and daily hearing aid [HA] use) on speech perception skills in children with HAs. Method Participants included 24 children with HAs and 25 children with normal hearing (NH), ages 5–12 years. Groups were matched on age, expressive and receptive vocabulary, articulation, and nonverbal working memory. Participants repeated monosyllabic words and nonwords in noise. Stimuli varied on age of acquisition, lexical frequency, and phonotactic probability. Performance in each condition was measured by the signal-to-noise ratio at which the child could accurately repeat 50% of the stimuli. Results Children from both groups with larger vocabularies showed better performance than children with smaller vocabularies on nonwords and late-acquired words but not early-acquired words. Overall, children with HAs showed poorer performance than children with NH. Auditory access was not associated with speech perception for the children with HAs. Conclusions Children with HAs show deficits in sensitivity to phonological structure but appear to take advantage of vocabulary skills to support speech perception in the same way as children with NH. Further investigation is needed to understand the causes of the gap that exists between the overall speech perception abilities of children with HAs and children with NH.

scholarly journals Word Recognition and Nonword Repetition in Children With Language Disorders: The Effects of Neighborhood Density, Lexical Frequency, and Phonotactic Probability

2015 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Rispens ◽  
Anne Baker ◽  
Iris Duinmeijer
Keyword(s):  
Word Recognition ◽  
Language Impairment ◽  
Specific Language Impairment ◽  
Neighborhood Density ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Nonword Repetition ◽  
Lexical Frequency ◽  
Phonotactic Probability ◽  
Reading Impairment ◽  
Negative Effect

Purpose The effects of neighborhood density (ND) and lexical frequency on word recognition and the effects of phonotactic probability (PP) on nonword repetition (NWR) were examined to gain insight into processing at the lexical and sublexical levels in typically developing (TD) children and children with developmental language problems. Method Tasks measuring NWR and word recognition were administered to 5 groups of children: 2 groups of TD children (5 and 8 years old), children with specific language impairment (SLI), children with reading impairment (RI), and children with SLI + RI (all 7–8 years old). Results High ND had a negative effect on word recognition in the older TD children and in the children with RI only. There was no ND effect in the younger children or in the children with SLI, who all had lower receptive vocabulary scores than the age-matched TD children and the RI groups. For all groups, NWR items with low PP were more difficult to repeat than items with high PP. This effect was especially pronounced in children with RI. Conclusion Both the stage of vocabulary development and the type of language impairment (SLI or RI) impact the way ND and PP affect word recognition and NWR.

scholarly journals Nonword Repetition by Children With Cochlear Implants

2004 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 1103-1116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caitlin M. Dillon ◽  
Rose A. Burkholder ◽  
Miranda Cleary ◽  
David B. Pisoni
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Speech Perception ◽  
Speech Production ◽  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Phonological Processing ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
Speaking Rate ◽  
Nonword Repetition ◽  
Phonological Working Memory ◽  
Verbal Rehearsal

Seventy-six children with cochlear implants completed a nonword repetition task. The children were presented with 20 nonword auditory patterns over a loud-speaker and were asked to repeat them aloud to the experimenter. The children's responses were recorded on digital audiotape and then played back to normal-hearing adult listeners to obtain accuracy ratings on a 7-point scale. The children's nonword repetition performance, as measured by these perceptual accuracy ratings, could be predicted in large part by their performance on independently collected measures of speech perception, verbal rehearsal speed, and speech production. The strongest contributing variable was speaking rate, which is widely argued to reflect verbal rehearsal speed in phonological working memory. Children who had become deaf at older ages received higher perceptual ratings. Children whose early linguistic experience and educational environments emphasized oral communication methods received higher perceptual ratings than children enrolled in total communication programs. The present findings suggest that individual differences in performance on nonword repetition are strongly related to variability observed in the component processes involved in language imitation tasks, including measures of speech perception, speech production, and especially verbal rehearsal speed in phonological working memory. In addition, onset of deafness at a later age and an educational environment emphasizing oral communication may be beneficial to the children's ability to develop the robust phonological processing skills necessary to accurately repeat novel, nonword sound patterns.

Relationships Between Nonword Repetition Accuracy and Other Measures of Linguistic Development in Children With Phonological Disorders

2005 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Munson ◽  
Jan Edwards ◽  
Mary E. Beckman
Keyword(s):  
Low Frequency ◽  
Nonword Repetition ◽  
Frequency Effect ◽  
Phonological Development ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
Phonotactic Probability ◽  
Phonological Disorders ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Production Problems ◽  
Repetition Task

A growing body of research has documented effects of phonotactic probability on young children's nonword repetition. This study extends this research in 2 ways. First, it compares nonword repetitions by 40 young children with phonological disorders with those by 40 same-age peers with typical phonological development on a nonword repetition task in which the frequency of embedded diphone sequences was varied. Second, it examines the relationship between the frequency effect in the nonword repetition task and other measures of linguistic ability in these children. Children in both groups repeated low-frequency sequences less accurately than high-frequency sequences. The children with phonological disorders were less accurate overall but showed no larger disadvantage for the low-frequency sequences than their age peers. Across the group, the size of the frequency effect was correlated with vocabulary size, but it was independent of measures of speech perception and articulatory ability. These results support the hypothesis that the production difficulty associated with low/frequency sequences is related primarily to vocabulary growth rather than to developments in articulatory or perceptual ability. By contrast, production problems experienced by children with phonological disorders do not appear to result from difficulties in making abstractions over known lexical items. Instead, they may be associated with difficulties in building representations in the primary sensory and motor domains.

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