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

Lookup NU author(s): Professor Cristina McKeanORCiD, Dr Carolyn Letts, Professor David Howard

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Abstract

The 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.

Publication metadata

Author(s): McKean C, Letts CA, Howard D

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Journal of Child Language

Year: 2014

Volume: 41

Issue: 6

Pages: 1224-1228

Print publication date: 01/11/2014

Online publication date: 06/11/2013

Acceptance date: 18/09/2013

Date deposited: 09/10/2014

ISSN (print): 0305-0009

ISSN (electronic): 1469-7602

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0305000913000445

DOI: 10.1017/S0305000913000445

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