Individual differences in preschoolers' spatial thinking: Comprehension of dimensional adjectives and their relation to children's performance on non-verbal spatial tasks

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosalie Odean ◽  
Carla Abad ◽  
Shannon M. Pruden
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Spatial Relations ◽  
Spatial Task ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Spatial Thinking ◽  
Spatial Scaling ◽  
English Bilingual ◽  
Spatial Tasks ◽  
Dimensional Adjectives ◽  
Mental Transformations

The current study explores whether individual differences in the dimensional adjectives (e.g., big, tall) children understand, relates to individual differences in two non-verbal spatial abilities, an extrinsic spatial task (i.e., spatial scaling) and an intrinsic spatial task (i.e., mental rotation) in two studies that looked at spatial scaling and mental transformations respectively. Ninety-two Spanish-English bilingual children between 37.65 and 71.87 months (42 male) participated in Study 1 and with 79 of the children aged 48- to 72-months (40 male) also participating in study 2. Results show number of dimensional adjectives preschool children comprehend utilizing a new interactive, tablet-based task relates to performance on non-verbal spatial tasks. Children may use language when solving spatial tasks, or language may be indicative of overall stronger understanding of spatial relations.

scholarly journals The Building Blocks of Child Bilingual Code-Mixing: A Cross-Corpus Traceback Approach

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antje Endesfelder Quick ◽  
Stefan Hartmann
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
The Other ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Lexical Knowledge ◽  
Code Mixing ◽  
English Bilingual ◽  
Individual Input

This paper offers an inductive, exploratory study on the role of input and individual differences in the early code-mixing of bilingual children. Drawing on data from two German-English bilingual children, aged 2–4, we use the traceback method to check whether their code-mixed utterances can be accounted for with the help of constructional patterns that can be found in their monolingual data and/or in their caregivers' input. In addition, we apply the traceback method to check whether the patterns used by one child can also be found in the input of the other child. Results show that patterns found in the code-mixed utterances could be traced back to the input the children receive, suggesting that children extract lexical knowledge from their environment. Additionally, tracing back patterns within each child was more successful than tracing back to the other child's corpus, indicating that each child has their own set of patterns which depends very much on their individual input. As such, these findings can shed new light on the interplay of the two developing grammars in bilingual children and their individual differences.

Entrenchment effects in code-mixing: individual differences in German-English bilingual children

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Antje Endesfelder Quick ◽  
Ad Backus ◽  
Elena Lieven
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Cognitive Linguistics ◽  
First Language ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Code Mixing ◽  
English Bilingual ◽  
Theory Of Language

Abstract Following a usage-based approach to language acquisition, lexically specific patterns are considered to be important building blocks for language productivity and feature heavily both in child-directed speech and in the early speech of children (Arnon, Inbal & Morten H. Christiansen. 2017. The role of multiword building blocks in explaining L1-L2 differences. Topics in Cognitive Science 9(3). 621–636; Tomasello, Michael. 2003. Constructing a language: A usage-based theory of language acquisition. Cambridge: Harvard University Press). In order to account for patterns, the traceback method has been widely applied in research on first language acquisition to test the hypothesis that children’s utterances can be accounted for on the basis of a limited inventory of chunks and partially schematic units (Lieven, Elena, Dorothé Salomo & Michael Tomasello. 2009. Two-year-old children’s production of multiword utterances: A usage-based analysis. Cognitive Linguistics 20(3). 481–508). In the current study, we applied the method to code-mixed utterances (n = 1,506) of three German-English bilingual children between 2 and 4 years of age to investigate individual differences in each child’s own inventory of patterns in relation to their input settings. It was shown that units such as I see X as in I see a Kelle ‘I see a trowel’ could be traced back to the child’s own previous productions. More importantly, we see that each child’s inventory of constructions draws heavily on multiword chunks that are strongly dependent on the children’s language input situations.

Constructively combining languages

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 393-409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antje Endesfelder Quick ◽  
Elena Lieven ◽  
Ad Backus ◽  
Michael Tomasello
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Language Development ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Language Preference ◽  
Type Analysis ◽  
Objective Measurements ◽  
English Bilingual ◽  
Construction Type ◽  
Language Context ◽  
Mean Length Of Utterance

Abstract Language development in bilingual children is often related to differing levels of proficiency. Objective measurements of bilingual development include for example mean length of utterance (MLU). MLU is almost always calculated for each language context (including both monolingual and code-mixed utterances). In the current study, we analyzed the MLUs of three German-English bilingual children, aged 2;3–3;11 separately for the monolingual and code-mixed utterances. Our results showed that language preference was reflected in MLU values: the more children spoke in one language the higher the MLU was in that language. However, it was the mixed utterances that had the highest MLU for all three children. We support the results with a construction type analysis and suggest a potential usage-based explanation for these results based on individual differences in each child’s developmental inventory of words and constructions.

An Introductory Examination of Speech Disfluencies in Spanish–English Bilingual Children Who Do and Do Not Stutter During Narratives

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-141
Author(s):  
Cristina Rincon ◽  
Kia Noelle Johnson ◽  
Courtney Byrd
Keyword(s):  
Diagnostic Criteria ◽  
Preliminary Data ◽  
Diagnostic Information ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
English Bilingual ◽  
Developmental Stuttering ◽  
Mean Length Of Utterance

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the frequency and type of speech disfluencies (stuttering-like and nonstuttering-like) in bilingual Spanish–English (SE) children who stutter (CWS) to SE children who do not stutter (CWNS) during narrative samples elicited in Spanish and English to provide further diagnostic information for this population and preliminary data toward an expansion of this study. Method Participants included six bilingual SE children (three CWS, three CWNS) ranging in age from 5 years to 7;5 (years;months) and recruited from the surrounding Houston, Texas area. Participants provided a narrative sample in English and Spanish. The frequency of speech disfluencies was tabulated, and mean length of utterance was measured for each sample. Results Results indicate that both talker groups exceed the diagnostic criteria typically used for developmental stuttering. Regardless of the language being spoken, CWS participants had a frequency of stuttering-like speech disfluencies that met or exceeded the diagnostic criteria for developmental stuttering that is based on monolingual English speakers. The CWNS participants varied in meeting the criteria depending on the language being spoken, with one of the three CWNS exceeding the criteria in both languages and one exceeding the criteria for percentage of stuttering-like speech disfluencies in one language. Conclusion Findings from this study contribute to the development of more appropriate diagnostic criteria for bilingual SE-speaking children to aid in the reduction of misdiagnoses of stuttering in this population.

On the Robustness of Solution Strategy Classifications

2010 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 68-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
María José Contreras ◽  
Víctor J. Rubio ◽  
Daniel Peña ◽  
José Santacreu
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Study Strategies ◽  
Solution Strategy ◽  
Specific Test ◽  
Spatial Tasks ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Strategy Changes ◽  
Over Time

Individual differences in performance when solving spatial tasks can be partly explained by differences in the strategies used. Two main difficulties arise when studying such strategies: the identification of the strategy itself and the stability of the strategy over time. In the present study strategies were separated into three categories: segmented (analytic), holistic-feedback dependent, and holistic-planned, according to the procedure described by Peña, Contreras, Shih, and Santacreu (2008) . A group of individuals were evaluated twice on a 1-year test-retest basis. During the 1-year interval between tests, the participants were not able to prepare for the specific test used in this study or similar ones. It was found that 60% of the individuals kept the same strategy throughout the tests. When strategy changes did occur, they were usually due to a better strategy. These results prove the robustness of using strategy-based procedures for studying individual differences in spatial tasks.

English phonetic inventories in Head Start Spanish-English bilingual children

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simona Montanari ◽  
Kaveri Subrahmanyam ◽  
Marlene Zepeda ◽  
Araceli Castellanos ◽  
Yvonne Ribas
Keyword(s):  
Head Start ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
English Bilingual
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