Beyond phonotactic frequency: presentation frequency effects word productions in specific language impairment

Area of Science:

• Linguistics
• Developmental Psychology
• Speech-Language Pathology

Background:

• Phonotactic frequency in language is linked to long-term experience.
• Previous research suggests accumulated language exposure influences word production.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if short-term frequency manipulations affect children's nonword production.
• To examine effects on both typically developing children and those with specific language impairment (SLI).

Main Methods:

• Children were presented with nonwords in a controlled experiment.
• English phonotactic frequency and in-experiment presentation frequency were systematically manipulated.
• Accuracy and time-to-response for nonword production were measured.

Main Results:

• Both English and experimental frequency manipulations impacted nonword production accuracy and response times.
• Children with SLI showed overall lower accuracy but were still affected by short-term frequency.
• Children with SLI differed in response time from typical peers only when both frequencies were low.

Conclusions:

• Short-term input modifications can alter children's word form representations.
• Facilitated word production is possible without extensive exposure or articulatory practice.
• Frequency effects on word production are demonstrable through brief experimental manipulations.