Pairing New Words With Unfamiliar Objects: Comparing Children With and Without Cochlear Implants

2018 ◽  
Vol 61 (9) ◽  
pp. 2325-2336
Author(s):  
Emily Lund
Keyword(s):  
Preschool Children ◽  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Word Learning ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Expressive Vocabulary ◽  
New Words ◽  
Initial Stage ◽  
Novel Words

PurposeThis study investigates differences between preschool children with cochlear implants and age-matched children with normal hearing during an initial stage in word learning to evaluate whether they (a) match novel words to unfamiliar objects and (b) solicit information about unfamiliar objects during play.MethodTwelve preschool children with cochlear implants and 12 children with normal hearing matched for age completed 2 experimental tasks. In the 1st task, children were asked to point to a picture that matched either a known word or a novel word. In the 2nd task, children were presented with unfamiliar objects during play and were given the opportunity to ask questions about those objects.ResultsIn Task 1, children with cochlear implants paired novel words with unfamiliar pictures in fewer trials than children with normal hearing. In Task 2, children with cochlear implants were less likely to solicit information about new objects than children with normal hearing. Performance on the 1st task, but not the 2nd, significantly correlated with expressive vocabulary standard scores of children with cochlear implants.ConclusionThis study provides preliminary evidence that children with cochlear implants approach mapping novel words to and soliciting information about unfamiliar objects differently than children with normal hearing.

scholarly journals The influence of part-word phonotactic probability/neighborhood density on word learning by preschool children varying in expressive vocabulary

2010 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 628-643 ◽  
Author(s):  
HOLLY L. STORKEL ◽  
JILL R. HOOVER
Keyword(s):  
Preschool Children ◽  
Probability Density ◽  
Word Learning ◽  
Picture Naming ◽  
Neighborhood Density ◽  
Expressive Vocabulary ◽  
Phonotactic Probability ◽  
Density Effects ◽  
Floor Effects

ABSTRACTThe goal of this study was to examine the influence of part-word phonotactic probability/neighborhood density on word learning by preschool children with normal vocabularies that varied in size. Ninety-eight children (age 2 ; 11–6 ; 0) were taught consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) nonwords orthogonally varying in the probability/density of the CV (i.e. body) and VC (i.e. rhyme). Learning was measured via picture naming. Children with the lowest expressive vocabulary scores showed no effect of either CV or VC probability/density, although floor effects could not be ruled out. In contrast, children with low or high expressive vocabulary scores demonstrated sensitivity to part-word probability/density with the nature of the effect varying by group. Children with the highest expressive vocabulary scores displayed yet a third pattern of part-word probability/density effects. Taken together, word learning by preschool children was influenced by part-word probability/density but the nature of this influence appeared to depend on the size of the lexicon.

The Type, but Not the Amount, of Information Available Influences Toddlers' Fast Mapping and Retention of New Words

2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 120-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn W. Brady ◽  
Judith C. Goodman
Keyword(s):  
Word Learning ◽  
Word Meaning ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Fast Mapping ◽  
New Words ◽  
Amount Of Information ◽  
Significant Rate ◽  
Mapping Task ◽  
Novel Words

Purpose The authors of this study examined whether the type and number of word-learning cues affect how children infer and retain word-meaning mappings and whether the use of these cues changes with age. Method Forty-eight 18- to 36-month-old children with typical language participated in a fast-mapping task in which 6 novel words were presented with 3 types of cues to the words' referents, either singly or in pairs. One day later, children were tested for retention of the novel words. Results By 24 months of age, children correctly inferred the referents of the novel words at a significant level. Children retained the meanings of words at a significant rate by 30 months of age. Children retained the first 3 of the 6 word-meaning mappings by 24 months of age. For both fast mapping and retention, the efficacy of different cue types changed with development, but children were equally successful whether the novel words were presented with 1 or 2 cues. Conclusion The type of information available to children at fast mapping affects their ability to both form and retain word-meaning associations. Providing children with more information in the form of paired cues had no effect on either fast mapping or retention.

Triggering, Configuration, and Engagement

2020 ◽  
pp. 137-149
Author(s):  
Emily Lund
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Word Learning ◽  
Educational Interventions ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Academic Skill ◽  
Learning Differences ◽  
Cascading Effects ◽  
New Words ◽  
Children With Hearing Loss

Word learning and vocabulary knowledge, although related, represent distinct constructs. The process by which a child learns new words will affect both the quantity of words learned and the quality of word representations in a child’s lexicon. Children with normal hearing experience predictable patterns of learning via the processes of triggering, configuration, and engagement. Children with hearing loss may experience, for various reasons, disruptions at all three levels. Those difficulties with the process of word learning may then lead to delays and differences in vocabulary knowledge, with cascading effects on other linguistic and academic skill development. Cultivating an understanding of how hearing loss affects not only vocabulary outcomes but also word-learning processes in children with hearing loss may provide avenues for future educational interventions that interrupt the adverse consequences of poor lexical knowledge. This chapter addresses the process of spoken word learning in children with normal hearing and the ways in which hearing loss affects this the subprocesses of triggering, configuration and engagement. The consequences of word-learning differences on other later-developing skills, such as phonological awareness, are discussed.

Word Learning and Story Comprehension From Digital Storybooks

2016 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 410-428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth S. Kelley ◽  
Kara Kinney
Keyword(s):  
Preschool Children ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Word Learning ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Story Comprehension ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
New Words ◽  
Incidental Exposure ◽  
Learning Instruction ◽  
Incidental Word Learning

An emerging body of research examines language learning of young children from experiences with digital storybooks, but little is known about the ways in which specific components of digital storybooks, including interactive elements, may influence language learning. The purpose of the study was to examine the incidental word learning and story comprehension of preschool children after interactions with interactive and noninteractive versions of a digital storybook. Thirty preschool children were randomly assigned to one of two experimental conditions: interactive in which the story text was presented aloud and interactive features were present and not interactive in which the story text was presented aloud with no interactive features. After three sessions with the digital storybook, no group differences were observed between conditions on measures of word learning or story comprehension. Children in both groups demonstrated some learning of new words; however, gains were minimal, approximately one new word per child. This study contributes preliminary data to indicate that interactive components of digital storybooks may not be sufficient to facilitate language learning. Instruction, rather than incidental exposure, is likely necessary for meaningful language learning from digital storybooks.

scholarly journals Nonword Repetition and Vocabulary Knowledge as Predictors of Children's Phonological and Semantic Word Learning

2017 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
pp. 682-693 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne M. Adlof ◽  
Hannah Patten
Keyword(s):  
Word Learning ◽  
Semantic Information ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Nonword Repetition ◽  
Chronological Age ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Expressive Vocabulary ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
New Words ◽  
Reading Impairments

Purpose This study examined the unique and shared variance that nonword repetition and vocabulary knowledge contribute to children's ability to learn new words. Multiple measures of word learning were used to assess recall and recognition of phonological and semantic information. Method Fifty children, with a mean age of 8 years (range 5–12 years), completed experimental assessments of word learning and norm-referenced assessments of receptive and expressive vocabulary knowledge and nonword repetition skills. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses examined the variance in word learning that was explained by vocabulary knowledge and nonword repetition after controlling for chronological age. Results Together with chronological age, nonword repetition and vocabulary knowledge explained up to 44% of the variance in children's word learning. Nonword repetition was the stronger predictor of phonological recall, phonological recognition, and semantic recognition, whereas vocabulary knowledge was the stronger predictor of verbal semantic recall. Conclusions These findings extend the results of past studies indicating that both nonword repetition skill and existing vocabulary knowledge are important for new word learning, but the relative influence of each predictor depends on the way word learning is measured. Suggestions for further research involving typically developing children and children with language or reading impairments are discussed.

scholarly journals Phonological similarity influences word learning in adults learning Spanish as a foreign language

2011 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 490-502 ◽  
Author(s):  
MELISSA K. STAMER ◽  
MICHAEL S. VITEVITCH
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Word Learning ◽  
Neighborhood Density ◽  
Spanish Language ◽  
New Words ◽  
Learning Tasks ◽  
Language Classes ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Native English Speaking ◽  
Novel Words

Neighborhood density – the number of words that sound similar to a given word (Luce & Pisoni, 1998) – influences word learning in native English-speaking children and adults (Storkel, 2004; Storkel, Armbruster & Hogan, 2006): novel words with many similar sounding English words (i.e., dense neighborhood) are learned more quickly than novel words with few similar sounding English words (i.e., sparse neighborhood). The present study examined how neighborhood density influences word learning in native English-speaking adults learning Spanish as a foreign language. Students in their third semester of Spanish-language classes learned advanced Spanish words that sounded similar to many known Spanish words (i.e., dense neighborhood) or sounded similar to few known Spanish words (i.e., sparse neighborhood). In three word-learning tasks, performance was better for Spanish words with dense rather than sparse neighborhoods. These results suggest that a similar mechanism may be used to learn new words in a native and a foreign language.

scholarly journals Effects of language mixing on bilingual children's word learning

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Krista Byers-Heinlein ◽  
Amel Jardak ◽  
Eva Fourakis ◽  
Casey Lew-Williams
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environments ◽  
Word Learning ◽  
New Words ◽  
Children’S Learning ◽  
Language Mixing ◽  
Mixed Language ◽  
Novel Targets ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Novel Words ◽  
Children's Learning

Abstract Language mixing is common in bilingual children's learning environments. Here, we investigated effects of language mixing on children's learning of new words. We tested two groups of 3-year-old bilinguals: French–English (Experiment 1) and Spanish–English (Experiment 2). Children were taught two novel words, one in single-language sentences (“Look! Do you see the dog on the teelo?”) and one in mixed-language sentences with a mid-sentence language switch (“Look! Do you see the chien/perro on the walem?”). During the learning phase, children correctly identified novel targets when hearing both single-language and mixed-language sentences. However, at test, French–English bilinguals did not successfully recognize the word encountered in mixed-language sentences. Spanish–English bilinguals failed to recognize either word, which underscores the importance of examining multiple bilingual populations. This research suggests that language mixing may sometimes hinder children's encoding of novel words that occur downstream, but leaves open several possible underlying mechanisms.

Learning and Retention of Novel Words in Musicians and Nonmusicians

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Elizabeth C. Stewart ◽  
Andrea L. Pittman
Keyword(s):  
Word Recognition ◽  
Word Learning ◽  
Musical Training ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Word Recall ◽  
Auditory Information ◽  
Musical Representations ◽  
Word Detection ◽  
Novel Words

Purpose The purpose of this study was to determine whether long-term musical training enhances the ability to perceive and learn new auditory information. Listeners with extensive musical experience were expected to detect, learn, and retain novel words more effectively than participants without musical training. Advantages of musical training were expected to be greater for words learned in multitalker babble compared to quiet. Method Participants consisted of 20 young adult musicians and 20 age-matched nonmusicians, all with normal hearing. In addition to completing word recognition and nonword detection tasks, each participant learned 10 novel words in a rapid word-learning paradigm. All tasks were completed in quiet and in multitalker babble. Next-day retention of the learned words was examined in isolation (recall) and in the context of continuous discourse (detection). Performance was compared across groups and listening conditions. Results Performance was significantly poorer in babble than in quiet on word recognition and nonword detection, but not on word learning, learned-word recall, or learned-word detection. No differences were observed between groups (musicians vs. nonmusicians) on any of the tasks. Conclusions For young normal-hearing adults, auditory experience resulting from long-term music training did not enhance their learning of new auditory information in either favorable (quiet) or unfavorable (babble) listening conditions. This suggests that the formation of semantic and musical representations in memory may be supported by the same underlying auditory processes, such that musical training is simply an extension of an auditory expertise that both musicians and nonmusicians possess.

Word learning in Italian preschool children with cochlear implants

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marinella Majorano ◽  
Letizia Guerzoni ◽  
Alessandra Murri ◽  
Laura Guidotti ◽  
Marika Morelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Preschool Children ◽  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Word Learning ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Fast Mapping ◽  
Matched Group ◽  
Learning Procedure

AbstractThe aim of this study was to assess word learning in Italian preschool children with cochlear implants (CIs). Fifteen children with CIs (CI-group) and two groups of typically developing (TD) children, one age-matched group (CATD-group) and one of the same hearing age (HATD-group), participated in the study. A word-learning task was assigned to each child in which the numbers of correct, incorrect and absent responses were considered, both for comprehension and production. The learning procedure comprised eight nonwords and the children were tested immediately (fast mapping) and after 2 h (retention). In the word-learning task, the children with CIs displayed lower scores than the CATD-group and higher scores than the HATD-group both for comprehension and production and for fast mapping and retention. Fast mapping (comprehension and production) is significantly related to the children’s age at CI activation, while in the retention phase the correlation is significant only for comprehension. Although children with CI display slight limitations in word learning relative to age-matched children, the limitation is less severe with earlier CI activation.

scholarly journals Timing storytime to maximise children's ability to retain new vocabulary

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Henderson ◽  
Elaine van Rijn ◽  
Emma James ◽  
Sarah Walker ◽  
Victoria Knowland ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Word Learning ◽  
Retrieval Practice ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Storybook Reading ◽  
New Words ◽  
Shared Storybook Reading ◽  
Vocabulary Growth ◽  
On Line ◽  
Explicit Training

Shared storybook reading is a key aid to vocabulary acquisition in childhood. However, word learning research has tended to use unnaturalistic (explicit) training regimes. Utilising a storybook paradigm, we examine whether children (particularly those with weaker vocabulary) are more likely to retain new words if they learn them closer to sleep. Parents read their child (5-7ys, n=237) an alien adventure story that contained 12 novel words with illustrations, at one of two training times: at bedtime or 3-5hrs before bedtime. Using on-line tasks, parents tested their child’s ability to recall the new words (production) and associate them with pictures (comprehension), immediately after hearing the story and again the following morning. As hypothesized, we replicated two findings: children showed overnight improvements in their ability to produce and comprehend new words when tested again the next day, and children with better existing vocabulary knowledge showed larger overnight gains in new word comprehension. Counter to expectations, overnight gains in comprehension were larger if the story was read 3-5 hours before, than at, bedtime. These ecologically valid findings are consistent with theories that characterise word learning as a prolonged process supported by mechanisms such as consolidation and retrieval practice, with existing vocabulary knowledge acting as an important source of variability in retention. The findings provide preliminary evidence that encountering new words in stories later in the day (but not too close to sleep) may help to harness vocabulary growth and may be more beneficial than leaving shared storybook reading just for bedtime.

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