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Updated: Mar 2, 2026
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An Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Ageing on Sentence Processing
Published on: October 25, 2019
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Spoken Language Production in Young Adults: Examining Syntactic Complexity
Marilyn A Nippold1, Megan W Frantz-Kaspar1, Laura M Vigeland1
1University of Oregon, Eugene.
Summary
Narrative tasks involving fables best reveal syntactic complexity in young adults, offering crucial benchmarks for early language development and potential identification of language impairments.
Area of Science:
- Linguistics
- Developmental Psychology
- Speech-Language Pathology
Background:
- Later language development is crucial for understanding overall linguistic competence.
- Establishing normative data for young adults aids in identifying language impairments.
- Syntactic complexity is a key indicator of language development and proficiency.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate syntactic complexity in the spoken language of young adults.
- To contribute to the knowledge base of later language development.
- To establish a normative database for evaluating language impairment in young adults.
Main Methods:
- Forty typically developing adults (mean age 22y 10m) participated.
- Interviews included conversation, fable retelling, and critical-thinking tasks.
- Language samples were analyzed for mean length of communication unit and clausal density.
Main Results:
- Narrative and critical-thinking tasks showed significantly higher syntactic complexity than conversation.
- Syntactic complexity was greatest during the narrative task compared to the critical-thinking task.
- Fable-based narrative tasks effectively revealed syntactic complexity.
Conclusions:
- Narrative tasks using fables are optimal for assessing syntactic complexity in young adults.
- The study provides essential benchmarks for early adult language development.
- Findings support the use of these tasks for identifying language impairments.
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