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The development of phonological memory and language: A multiple groups approach.
Audrey Delcenserie1,2, Fred Genesee3, Natacha Trudeau2
1Université de Montréal, Department of Psychology, Canada.
Journal of Child Language
|June 12, 2020
Summary
Early language input quality and quantity impact phonological memory and later language learning. Children with cochlear implants (CI) and developmental language disorder (DLD) showed poorer memory, supporting this link.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Linguistics
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Variations in early language input (timing, quality, quantity) may affect phonological working memory and subsequent language acquisition.
- Understanding these relationships is crucial for identifying children at risk for language learning difficulties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the hypothesis that early language input influences phonological working memory and language outcomes.
- To compare phonological memory and language development in at-risk groups (cochlear implants, developmental language disorder, internationally-adopted) and control groups (monolingual, second language learners).
Main Methods:
- Examined three at-risk groups (children with cochlear implants [CI], developmental language disorder [DLD], internationally-adopted [IA]) and two comparison groups (typically-developing monolingual [MON], second language [L2] learners).
- All children were acquiring French and matched on age, gender, socioeconomic status, and other relevant factors (age range: 5;0–7;3 years).
- Assessed phonological working memory and language skills.
Main Results:
- Children with CI and DLD performed significantly worse on memory measures compared to other groups.
- Internationally-adopted (IA) and second language (L2) learners did not differ significantly from each other in memory performance.
- IA children performed worse than MON children, but L2 learners did not differ from MON children.
- Differential relationships between phonological memory and language were observed across groups, supporting the core hypothesis.
Conclusions:
- Early language experiences significantly impact language development through their effects on phonological memory.
- Children with CI and DLD face particular challenges in phonological memory development.
- The findings highlight the critical role of early language input in shaping foundational language skills.
Keywords:
cochlear implantsdevelopmental language disorderearly language learning experiencesinternational adoptionphonological memorysecond language learningMore Related Videos
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