Fast mapping by bilingual preschool children

2008 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 495-514 ◽  
Author(s):  
PUI FONG KAN ◽  
KATHRYN KOHNERT
Keyword(s):  
Preschool Children ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Home Language ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Fast Mapping ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Word Forms ◽  
Cross Language ◽  
L2 Vocabulary ◽  
L1 And L2

ABSTRACTPrevious studies show that young monolingual children's ability to ‘fast map’ new word forms is closely associated with both their age and existing vocabulary knowledge. In this study we investigate potential relationships between age, fast mapping skills and existing vocabulary knowledge in both languages of developing bilingual preschool children. Participants were twenty-six typically developing children, ages 3 ; 0 to 5 ; 3. All children learned Hmong as their primary home language (L1) and English as a second language (L2). Fast mapping and vocabulary knowledge tasks were administered in L1 and L2. For vocabulary knowledge, scores were comparable in L1 and L2; for fast mapping, scores were somewhat greater in L1 than L2. In contrast to previous findings with monolingual children, fast mapping performance was not related to age or existing vocabulary knowledge in either Hmong or English. There were, however, significant positive and negative cross-language correlations between L1 fast mapping and L2 vocabulary.

Development and transfer of vocabulary knowledge in Spanish-speaking language minority preschool children

2015 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 969-992 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. MARC GOODRICH ◽  
CHRISTOPHER J. LONIGAN ◽  
CHERIE G. KLEUVER ◽  
JOANN M. FARVER
Keyword(s):  
Preschool Children ◽  
Predictive Validity ◽  
Language Minority ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
The Other ◽  
Partial Support ◽  
Time Points ◽  
Spanish Speaking ◽  
L2 Vocabulary ◽  
L1 And L2

AbstractIn this study we evaluated the predictive validity of conceptual scoring. Two independent samples of Spanish-speaking language minority preschoolers (Sample 1: N = 96, mean age = 54·51 months, 54·3% male; Sample 2: N = 116, mean age = 60·70 months, 56·0% male) completed measures of receptive, expressive, and definitional vocabulary in their first (L1) and second (L2) languages at two time points approximately 9–12 months apart. We examined whether unique L1 and L2 vocabulary at time 1 predicted later L2 and L1 vocabulary, respectively. Results indicated that unique L1 vocabulary did not predict later L2 vocabulary after controlling for initial L2 vocabulary. An identical pattern of results emerged for L1 vocabulary outcomes. We also examined whether children acquired translational equivalents for words known in one language but not the other. Results indicated that children acquired translational equivalents, providing partial support for the transfer of vocabulary knowledge across languages.

Measuring Word Learning Ability in Sequential Bilingual Children

2010 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pui Fong Kan
Keyword(s):  
Word Learning ◽  
Learning Ability ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Word Knowledge ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Learning Skills ◽  
Word Forms ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Novel Word Learning ◽  
L1 And L2

Abstract The purpose of this article is to look at the word learning skills in sequential bilingual children—children who learn two languages (L1 and L2) at different times in their childhood. Learning a new word is a process of learning a word form and relating this form to a concept. For bilingual children, each concept might need to map onto two word forms (in L1 and in L2). In case studies, I present 3 typically developing Hmong-English bilingual preschoolers' word learning skills in Hmong (L1) and in English (L2) during an 8-week period (4 weeks for each language). The results showed gains in novel-word knowledge in L1 and in L2 when the amount of input is equal for both languages. The individual differences in novel word learning are discussed.

L2 vocabulary knowledge in and out of context

2013 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hilde van Zeeland
Keyword(s):  
Word Meaning ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Vocabulary Test ◽  
Contextual Knowledge ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
Word Forms ◽  
Isolated Word ◽  
L2 Vocabulary ◽  
Esl Learners ◽  
Shed Light

The vast majority of second language (L2) vocabulary research focuses on learners’ knowledge of isolated word forms. However, it is unclear to what extent this knowledge can be used as an indicator of knowledge in context (i.e. reading and listening). This study aims to shed light on this issue by comparing ESL learners’ knowledge of the meaning of isolated words (‘decontextual knowledge’) with their knowledge of the same words in both reading and listening (‘contextual knowledge’). Decontextual knowledge was measured in a free recall interview. Contextual knowledge was measured through a task in which participants paraphrased sentences containing the target items from both a written and spoken narrative. Results showed that learners’ decontextual and contextual knowledge agreed in 65% of the cases. This indicates a considerable gap between the two, and emphasises that scores on decontextualised vocabulary test should not be used as predictors of learners’ vocabulary knowledge in context. In addition, learners demonstrated significantly better knowledge of word meaning in the reading than listening mode, which may be due to processing difficulties in listening as well as better inferencing opportunities in reading. Two additional factors found to affect both decontextual and contextual knowledge are word frequency and learners’ vocabulary size.

Language Influences on Verbal Short-Term Memory Performance in Down Syndrome

2004 ◽  
Vol 47 (6) ◽  
pp. 1334-1346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jon Brock ◽  
Christopher Jarrold
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Language Abilities ◽  
Term Memory

Down syndrome is associated with severe deficits in language and verbal short-term memory, but the causal relationship between these deficits is unclear. The current study therefore investigated the influence of language abilities on verbal short-term memory performance in Down syndrome. Twenty-one individuals with Down syndrome and 29 younger typically developing children were tested on memory for words and nonwords using 2 immediate recognition tasks: an order memory task that was a relatively pure measure of verbal short-term memory and an item memory task that was more sensitive to language ability. Despite having superior vocabulary knowledge to the typically developing children, individuals with Down syndrome were impaired on both order and item tasks. This impairment was particularly marked on the item task, where individuals with Down syndrome showed an atypically large lexicality effect. These results are interpreted in terms of an underlying verbal short-term memory deficit in Down syndrome that is compounded by poor phonological discrimination abilities.

Verbal Regulation of Grip Force in Preschoolers

2009 ◽  
Vol 108 (2) ◽  
pp. 540-548 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koichi Haishi ◽  
Ayumi Komatsu ◽  
Hideyuki Okuzumi ◽  
Mitsuru Kokubun ◽  
Yoshio Kitajima ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Preschool Children ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Grip Force ◽  
Developmental Process ◽  
Healthy Adults ◽  
Developmental Changes ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Preschool Period ◽  
Semantic Aspect

The purpose of this study was to clarify the developmental processes in verbal regulation by preschool children. Participants were 152 typically developing children (74 boys, 78 girls) between 4 and 6 years of age ( M = 5.3, SD =.8), and 30 healthy adults (15 men, 15 women) between 19 and 26 years of age ( M = 20.8, SD = 1.4). In Exp. 1, the task was to regulate grip force based on quantitative instruction which implies using a scale for regulation. Participants were required to produce a half-grip force of the maximum (Task 1). In Exp. 2, the task was grip-force regulation based on nonquantitative instruction. The participants were asked to respond with a slightly weaker grip force than the maximum (Task 2) and then a further weaker grip force (Task 3) than that used on Task 2. The regulation rates produced the extent of regulation and suggest regulation by quantitative instruction may develop earlier than by nonquantitative instruction. Also, precise grip-force regulation based on the semantic aspect of instruction may be difficult for young children. The developmental changes in the rate of performance especially observed in children of 4 to 6 years indicate that the tendency to use too much grip force disappears during this preschool period. In addition, too little grip force in regulation may reflect the developmental process toward fine grasping movements.

scholarly journals JOINT ATTENTION AND THE MENTAL MODEL OF PRESCHOOL CHILDREN WITH ATYPICAL DEVELOPMENT

2020 ◽  
pp. 96-123
Author(s):  
Yana K. Smirnova
Keyword(s):  
Social Cognition ◽  
Preschool Children ◽  
Joint Attention ◽  
Mental Model ◽  
Social Characteristics ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Speech Impairment ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Primary Defect ◽  
Atypical Development

Relevance. The article discusses the relationship between the development of joint (shared) attention of a child with an adult, and the social and cognitive development of the child. Based on previous studies of typically developing children that demonstrate their participation and responsiveness to fundamental social characteristics, it is significant to identify manifestations of atypical joint attention when a child does not register which object (event) or which aspects of this object (event) are the focus of an interlocutor’s attention. The question of which aspects of joint attention are related to the normative development of the child makes this relevant for comparing groups with different forms of atypical development. For the study, the main indicator of understanding the intentions of the other in the direction of view was used, as one of the aspects of joint attention. Objective. To compare the development of social cognition and joint attention among typically developing children and children with various forms of atypical development in order to identify the correlation between the theory of mind and cognitive lesion. Methods. In a sample of preschool children with typical development and of those with mental retardation, hearing impairment, speech impairment, or visual impairment (N = 90), the following methods were used to evaluate the children’s understanding of the intentions, desires, and interests of others by their behavioral manifestations: “Test for Erroneous Opinion”, “Sally-Ann”; the “What does Charlie want?” task, and others. The task was also used to assess the child’s ability to use the direction of a character’s gaze in a picture to determine the person’s intentions. Results. We identified the “primary psychological” characteristics of the atypical development of the child, which prioritize violations of social communication. Several variations of the violation of joint attention were singled out by determining a person’s intentions by the direction of their gaze. It was shown that determining intentions by the direction of gaze is associated with the normative age formation of the child. Symptoms of deficiency in this skill vary depending on the specifics of the child’s atypical development. Conclusions. Secondary deviations in the development of social cognition are specific to a particular primary defect. The limited inflow of information in the event of a violation of the analyzer creates unusual conditions in the children’s accumulation of the experience of social interaction that is necessary to form a mental model.

scholarly journals Vocabulary profiles and reading comprehension in young bilingual children

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christie Fraser ◽  
Alexandra Gottardo ◽  
Esther Geva
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Word Reading ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Learning Ability ◽  
Group Model ◽  
English Reading ◽  
English Reading Comprehension ◽  
L2 Vocabulary ◽  
L1 And L2

Strong vocabulary knowledge is important for success in reading comprehension for English language learners (ELLs). The interplay between first (L1) and second language (L2) vocabulary knowledge in L2 English reading comprehension was examined to determine whether ELLs, whose command of L1 and L2 vocabulary varied across languages, differed in English reading comprehension in grades 2 and 4. ELLs (n = 105) were assigned to a bilingual profile group based on their L1 and L2 vocabulary knowledge and in relation to the sample: L1 dominant (strong L1), L2 dominant (strong L2), high balanced (strong in both), or low balanced (compromised in both). Relationships among L1 and L2 (English) vocabulary, nonverbal cognitive ability, word reading, and reading comprehension in English were examined. Results indicated that reading comprehension was related to bilingual profile, and that a three group model better characterized the sample when compared to the four group model that was initially hypothesized. L1 vocabulary was not uniquely predictive of L2 (English) reading comprehension. L2 vocabulary aligned betterwith reading comprehension concurrently in grade 2, and longitudinally in grade 4. In support of a common underlying cognitive processes perspective, individual differences in learning vocabulary may be a proxy forgeneral language learning ability, which supports reading comprehension.

scholarly journals The Impact of Preschool Education on L1 Vocabulary Development and Sequential Bilingualism: The Case of Arab Schoolchildren

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 121
Author(s):  
Ahmed Masrai
Keyword(s):  
First Language ◽  
Vocabulary Development ◽  
Preschool Education ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
L2 Vocabulary ◽  
L1 And L2 ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Early Childhood Settings

Considerable research has investigated the effect of preschool education on subsequent school success and proposed a positive link between the two. Less research, however, has directly investigated the influence of preschool education on children’s vocabulary development. This paper reports on a study that examines the impact of preschool education on children’s first language (L1) vocabulary development in early childhood settings and the potential impact this has on the successive acquisition of second language (L2) vocabulary in later school years. To conduct the study, data from 200 Arabic-English successive bilingual children were collected. The data are scores on receptive vocabulary knowledge in L1 and L2 of two groups of fourth grade schoolchildren (with and without preschool education). The results show that: (1) preschool education contributes largely to L1 vocabulary development and L2 vocabulary acquisition; (2) there is a strong link between L1 and L2 receptive vocabulary knowledge; and (3) bilingual mental lexicon size is predicted by preschool education. The present study provides further insights on the relation between preschool education and L1 vocabulary growth and the influence of this on sequential bilingualism. These findings will allow informed decisions on the support for preschool education by parents and educational policymakers.

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 The home language environment of monolingual and bilingual children and their language proficiency

2009 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANNA F. SCHEELE ◽  
PAUL P. M. LESEMAN ◽  
AZIZA Y. MAYO
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Home Language ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Strong Impact ◽  
Language Environment ◽  
Cross Language ◽  
L1 And L2 ◽  
Dutch Children

ABSTRACTThis study investigated the relationships between home language learning activities and vocabulary in a sample of monolingual native Dutch (n= 58) and bilingual immigrant Moroccan–Dutch (n= 46) and Turkish–Dutch (n= 55) 3-year-olds, speaking Tarifit-Berber, a nonscripted language, and Turkish as their first language (L1), respectively. Despite equal domain general cognitive abilities, Dutch children scored higher than the bilingual children on a L1 vocabulary test, and Moroccan–Dutch children had higher second language (L2) vocabulary skills compared to Turkish–Dutch children. Multigroup analyses revealed strong impact on both L1 and L2 skills of language specific input in literate and oral activities. Finally, indications were found of positive cross-language transfer from L1 to L2 as well as competition between L1 and L2 input.

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