scholarly journals Quantifying sources of variability in infancy research using the infant-directed speech preference

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael C. Frank ◽  
Christina Bergmann ◽  
Elika Bergelson ◽  
Krista Byers-Heinlein ◽  
Alejandrina Cristia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Native Language ◽  
American English ◽  
Testing Procedure ◽  
Older Children ◽  
Head Turn ◽  
Language Experience ◽  
Relative Preference ◽  
Audio Recordings ◽  
Discrimination Methods

The field of psychology has become increasingly concerned with issues related to methodology and replicability. Infancy researchers face specific challenges related to replicability: high-powered studies are difficult to conduct, testing conditions vary across labs, and different labs have access to different infant populations, amongst other factors. Addressing these concerns, we report on a large-scale, multi-site study aimed at 1) assessing the overall replicability of a single theoretically-important phenomenon and 2) examining methodological, situational, cultural, and developmental moderators. We focus on infants’ preference for infant-directed speech (IDS) over adult-directed speech (ADS). Stimuli of mothers speaking to their infants and to an adult were created using semi-naturalistic laboratory-based audio recordings in North American English. Infants’ relative preference for IDS and ADS was assessed across 67 laboratories in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia using the three commonly-used infant discrimination methods (head-turn preference, central fixation, and eye tracking). The overall meta-analytic effect size (Cohen’s *d*) was 0.35 [0.29 - 0.42], which was reliably above zero but smaller than the meta-analytic mean computed from previous literature (0.67). The IDS preference was significantly stronger in older children, in those children for whom the stimuli matched their native language and dialect, and in data from labs using the head-turn preference procedure. Together these findings replicate the infant-directed speech preference but suggest that its magnitude is modulated by development, native language experience, and testing procedure.

scholarly journals Quantifying Sources of Variability in Infancy Research Using the Infant-Directed-Speech Preference

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Michael C. Frank ◽  
Katherine Jane Alcock ◽  
Natalia Arias-Trejo ◽  
Gisa Aschersleben ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Native Language ◽  
American English ◽  
Testing Procedure ◽  
Older Children ◽  
Head Turn ◽  
Language Experience ◽  
Relative Preference ◽  
Audio Recordings ◽  
Central Fixation

Psychological scientists have become increasingly concerned with issues related to methodology and replicability, and infancy researchers in particular face specific challenges related to replicability: For example, high-powered studies are difficult to conduct, testing conditions vary across labs, and different labs have access to different infant populations. Addressing these concerns, we report on a large-scale, multisite study aimed at (a) assessing the overall replicability of a single theoretically important phenomenon and (b) examining methodological, cultural, and developmental moderators. We focus on infants’ preference for infant-directed speech (IDS) over adult-directed speech (ADS). Stimuli of mothers speaking to their infants and to an adult in North American English were created using seminaturalistic laboratory-based audio recordings. Infants’ relative preference for IDS and ADS was assessed across 67 laboratories in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia using the three common methods for measuring infants’ discrimination (head-turn preference, central fixation, and eye tracking). The overall meta-analytic effect size (Cohen’s d) was 0.35, 95% confidence interval = [0.29, 0.42], which was reliably above zero but smaller than the meta-analytic mean computed from previous literature (0.67). The IDS preference was significantly stronger in older children, in those children for whom the stimuli matched their native language and dialect, and in data from labs using the head-turn preference procedure. Together, these findings replicate the IDS preference but suggest that its magnitude is modulated by development, native-language experience, and testing procedure.

scholarly journals A multi-lab study of bilingual infants: Exploring the preference for infant-directed speech

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krista Byers-Heinlein ◽  
Angeline Tsui ◽  
Christina Bergmann ◽  
Alexis K. Black ◽  
Anna Brown ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North American ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Native Language ◽  
American English ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Linguistic Experience ◽  
Different Types ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Matched Samples ◽  
Two Age Groups

From the earliest months of life, infants prefer listening to and learn better from infant-directed speech (IDS) than adult-directed speech (ADS). Yet, IDS differs within communities, across languages, and across cultures, both in form and in prevalence. This large-scale, multi-site study used the diversity of bilingual infant experiences to explore the impact of different types of linguistic experience on infants’ IDS preference. As part of the multi-lab ManyBabies 1 project, we compared lab-matched samples of 333 bilingual and 385 monolingual infants’ preference for North-American English IDS (cf. ManyBabies Consortium, 2020 (ManyBabies 1)), tested in 17 labs in 7 countries. Those infants were tested in two age groups: 6–9 months (the younger sample) and 12–15 months (the older sample). We found that bilingual and monolingual infants both preferred IDS to ADS, and did not differ in terms of the overall magnitude of this preference. However, amongst bilingual infants who were acquiring North-American English (NAE) as a native language, greater exposure to NAE was associated with a stronger IDS preference, extending the previous finding from ManyBabies 1 that monolinguals learning NAE as a native language showed a stronger preference than infants unexposed to NAE. Together, our findings indicate that IDS preference likely makes a similar contribution to monolingual and bilingual development, and that infants are exquisitely sensitive to the nature and frequency of different types of language input in their early environments.

New England English

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
James N. Stanford
Keyword(s):  
New England ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
American English ◽  
Popular Imagination ◽  
Important Place ◽  
Large Scale Data ◽  
Regional Features ◽  
Audio Recordings ◽  
Current Usage ◽  
New Research

For nearly 400 years, New England has held an important place in the development of American English, and “New England accents” are very well known in popular imagination. But since the 1930s, no large-scale academic book project has focused specifically on New England English. While other research projects have studied dialect features in various regions of New England, this is the first large-scale scholarly project to focus solely on New England English since the Linguistic Atlas of New England. This book presents new research covering all six New England states, with detailed geographic, phonetic, and statistical analysis of data collected from over 1,600 New Englanders. The book covers the past, present, and future of New England dialect features, analyzing them with dialect maps and statistical modeling in terms of age, gender, social class, ethnicity, and other factors. The book reports on a recent large-scale data collection project that included 367 field interviews, 626 audio-recorded interviews, and 634 online written questionnaires. Using computational methods, the project processed over 200,000 individual vowels in audio recordings to examine changes in New England speech. The researchers also manually examined 30,000 instances of /r/ to investigate “r-dropping” in words like “park” and so on. The book also reviews other recent research in the area. Using acoustic phonetics, computational processing, detailed statistical analyses, dialect maps, and graphical illustrations, the book systematically documents all of the major traditional New England dialect features, other regional features, and their current usage across New England.

scholarly journals A Multilab Study of Bilingual Infants: Exploring the Preference for Infant-Directed Speech

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 251524592097462
Author(s):  
Krista Byers-Heinlein ◽  
Angeline Sin Mei Tsui ◽  
Christina Bergmann ◽  
Alexis K. Black ◽  
Anna Brown ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North American ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Native Language ◽  
American English ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Linguistic Experience ◽  
Different Types ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Matched Samples ◽  
Two Age Groups

From the earliest months of life, infants prefer listening to and learn better from infant-directed speech (IDS) compared with adult-directed speech (ADS). Yet IDS differs within communities, across languages, and across cultures, both in form and in prevalence. This large-scale, multisite study used the diversity of bilingual infant experiences to explore the impact of different types of linguistic experience on infants’ IDS preference. As part of the multilab ManyBabies 1 project, we compared preference for North American English (NAE) IDS in lab-matched samples of 333 bilingual and 384 monolingual infants tested in 17 labs in seven countries. The tested infants were in two age groups: 6 to 9 months and 12 to 15 months. We found that bilingual and monolingual infants both preferred IDS to ADS, and the two groups did not differ in terms of the overall magnitude of this preference. However, among bilingual infants who were acquiring NAE as a native language, greater exposure to NAE was associated with a stronger IDS preference. These findings extend the previous finding from ManyBabies 1 that monolinguals learning NAE as a native language showed a stronger IDS preference than infants unexposed to NAE. Together, our findings indicate that IDS preference likely makes similar contributions to monolingual and bilingual development, and that infants are exquisitely sensitive to the nature and frequency of different types of language input in their early environments.

Does Age Moderate the Influence of Early Life Language Experiences? A Naturalistic Home Observation Study

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katrina d'Apice ◽  
Sophie von Stumm
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Cognitive Testing ◽  
Parent Ratings ◽  
Language Experience ◽  
Observation Study ◽  
Home Environments ◽  
Lexical Diversity ◽  
Audio Recordings

We explored if children’s age moderated associations between their early life language experiences and their linguistic and cognitive skills. For 107 British children, aged 24 to 48 months, and their families, we collected 3 day-long audio-recordings of their naturalistic home environments (M = 15.06 hours per day, SD = 1.87). Children’s cognitive ability was assessed by parent-ratings and with a cognitive testing booklet that children completed at home. We found that the quantity, lexical diversity and vocabulary sophistication of adult speech were associated with children’s linguistic and cognitive skills. However, these associations were not moderated by children’s age. Our findings suggest that the influence of early life language experience is not differentiated at age 24 to 48 months.

scholarly journals Comparison of Some Physical Parameters of Whole and Scored Lisinopril and Lisinopril/Hydrochlorthiazide Tablets

2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 391-395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edina Vranić ◽  
Alija Uzunović
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Testing Procedure ◽  
Physical Parameters ◽  
Hardness Testing ◽  
Disintegration Time ◽  
Adequate Dose ◽  
Response Information ◽  
Tablet Splitting ◽  
Good Patient Compliance ◽  
Accepted Practice

Tablets are one of the most popular and preferred solid dosage forms because they can be accurately dosed, easily manufactured and packaged on a large scale, have good physical and chemical stability, and can contribute to good patient compliance given their ease of administration. The ability to match doses to patients depends on the availability of multiple dose sizes and adequate dose-response information. These are not always provided, so splitting of the tablets is sometimes necessary, Tablet splitting is an accepted practice in dispensing medication, It has been used when a dosage form of the required strength is not available commercially. The aim of our study was to compare some physical parameters of whole and scored lisinopril and lisinopril/hydrochlorthiazide tablets and to accept or exclude their influence on the obtaining of required dosage.According to the results obtained, we may conclude that tablets from batch “I” “IL “III” and “IV” satisfied pharmacopeial requirements concerning crushing strength, friability, disintegration time and mass uniformity. The hardness testing showed acceptable reproducibility and indicate that the data variation was primarily from the irreversible changes in the structure of tablet samples. The act of compacting powders stores energy within the tablets, by shifting or compressing the intermolecular bonds within the particles. The tablets have a natural tendency to relax once pressure is removed, and this tendency works against the interparticle bonding formed during compression. Hardness testing procedure causes irreversible changes in this structure.

Modeling and Identification of Elastomeric Bearing Characteristics for Large-Scale Simulations

1998 ◽  
Vol 120 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. N. Morman ◽  
E. Nikolaidis ◽  
J. Rakowska ◽  
S. Seth
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Dynamic Stiffness ◽  
Testing Procedure ◽  
Nonlinear Dependence ◽  
Model Parameters ◽  
Elastomeric Bearing ◽  
Nonlinear Viscoelastic ◽  
Component Test ◽  
Differential Type ◽  
Stiffness And Damping

A constitutive equation of the differential type is introduced to model the nonlinear viscoelastic response behavior of elastomeric bearings in large-scale system simulations for vibration assessment and component loads prediction. The model accounts for the nonlinear dependence of dynamic stiffness and damping on vibration amplitude commonly observed in the behavior of bearings made of particle-reinforced elastomers. A testing procedure for the identification of the model parameters from bearing component test data is described. The experimental and analytical results for predicting the behavior of four (4) different car bushings are presented. In an example application, the model is incorporated in an ADAMS simulation to study the dynamic behavior of a car rear suspension.

scholarly journals Linking child travel routes and routine health data

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Mizen ◽  
Sarah Rodgers ◽  
Richard Fry ◽  
Ronan Lyons
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Data Linkage ◽  
Routine Data ◽  
Environmental Exposures ◽  
Health Data ◽  
Walking Distance ◽  
Complete Analysis ◽  
Natural Experiments ◽  
Older Children ◽  
Household Level

ABSTRACTObjectivesLinking routinely collected health and environment data can allow for large scale evaluations of how our environment impacts our health. Our data linkage approach advances previous research where residence-based environmental exposures were anonymously linked in the SAIL databank using Residential Anonymous Linking Fields (RALFs). The dose-response relationship between exposure to food and dietary intake has not been widely investigated. Previous research found conflicting views on whether increased environmental exposure to unhealthy food contributes to higher BMIs. This may have been due to different methodological approaches, including imprecise exposures, small numbers, and the use of self-reported BMIs. ApproachThis investigation calculated food exposure environments for routes from all homes to and from school. A Geographic Information System was used to calculate the environmental exposures along all potential routes up to a maximum age-appropriate walking distance from each school. Once within the SAIL databank we selected relevant routes using linked demographic and pupil datasets. To maintain privacy, the primary (doctoral) researcher generating the environmental exposures, did not have access to the final household-level exposure data in their identifiable form. The researcher automated their method so a second researcher could run the GIS analysis. Accuracy of modelled exposures will be compared with actual routes collected from GPS traces of children walking to school. ResultsRemoving access to the final identifiable household-level route exposures enabled the primary researcher to complete analysis on the combined household and individual-level data within the secure environment. The environmental exposures were linked with routine health data from the SAIL databank; including BMI as an indicator of obesity. BMI data for 4-5 year olds, and a sample of 1300 13-14 year olds were linked to associated environmental exposures. ConclusionDepending on modelled accuracy, a GIS and data linkage approach may allow the investigation of natural experiments and intervention evaluation at the scale of the total population. This is the first step towards anonymously modelling part of the daily exposure environment using routine data. A limitation is the lack of routinely collected BMI data for older children and teenagers an age when they are more likely to have the option to choose to buy food on the school route. This work will have many potential applications, including the delivery and evaluation of multiple school and workplace commuting interventions.

Language Experience and Subjective Word Familiarity on the Multimodal Perception of Non-Native Speakers’ Vowels

2021 ◽  
pp. 002383092199872
Author(s):  
Solène Inceoglu
Keyword(s):  
English Learners ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
American English ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Language Experience ◽  
Monosyllabic Words ◽  
Word Familiarity ◽  
Multimodal Perception

The present study investigated native (L1) and non-native (L2) speakers’ perception of the French vowels /ɔ̃, ɑ̃, ɛ̃, o/. Thirty-four American-English learners of French and 33 native speakers of Parisian French were asked to identify 60 monosyllabic words produced by a native speaker in three modalities of presentation: auditory-only (A-only); audiovisual (AV); and visual-only (V-only). The L2 participants also completed a vocabulary knowledge test of the words presented in the perception experiment that aimed to explore whether subjective word familiarity affected speech perception. Results showed that overall performance was better in the AV and A-only conditions for the two groups with the pattern of confusion differing across modalities. The lack of audiovisual benefit was not due to the vowel contrasts being not visually salient enough, as shown by the native group’s performance in the V-only modality, but to the L2 group’s weaker sensitivity to visual information. Additionally, a significant relationship was found between subjective word familiarity and AV and A-only (but not V-only) perception of non-native contrasts.

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