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Published on: October 11, 2018
Nonword-repetition ability does not appear to be a causal influence on children's vocabulary development
Monica Melby-Lervåg1, Arne Lervåg, Solveig-Alma Halaas Lyster
1Department of Special Needs Education, University of Oslo.
Abstract:
In the study reported here, we assessed the theory that vocabulary learning in children depends critically on the capacity of a "phonological loop" that is indexed by nonword-repetition ability. A 3-year longitudinal study of 219 children assessed nonword-repetition ability and vocabulary knowledge at yearly intervals between the ages of 4 and 7 years. There was a considerable degree of longitudinal stability in children's vocabulary and nonword-repetition skills, but there was no evidence of any influence of nonword-repetition ability on later vocabulary knowledge. These results seriously call into question the claim that vocabulary learning in children is constrained by nonword-repetition ability, and they cast doubt on the broader theory that the phonological loop functions as a language-learning device.
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