Relative Clause Sentence Comprehension by Japanese-Speaking Children With and Without Specific Language Impairment

Area of Science:

• Linguistics
• Developmental Psychology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Relative clauses (RCs) are complex grammatical structures.
• Auditory comprehension of RCs poses challenges for children, particularly those with specific language impairment (SLI).
• Understanding the factors influencing RC comprehension is crucial for identifying and supporting language development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate auditory comprehension of Japanese sentences with relative clauses (RCs) in children with typical development (TD) and specific language impairment (SLI).
• To examine the effects of structural complexity, linear distance, and sentence length on RC comprehension.
• To identify predictors of comprehension performance, including language and working memory abilities.

Main Methods:

• A picture-pointing task assessed comprehension of object and subject relatives in Japanese sentences of varying lengths.
• Linear mixed-effects models analyzed accuracy based on deep gap-filler distance (structural complexity) and surface linear distance.
• Language and working memory tests were administered, with factor analysis identifying key predictors.

Main Results:

• Children with SLI demonstrated poorer comprehension of RCs compared to TD children.
• Working memory abilities significantly predicted comprehension of both subject and object relatives.
• Children with SLI did not show comprehension facilitation with reduced structural complexity or shorter linear distances.
• TD children made more errors with increased structural complexity but were unaffected by linear distance or sentence length.

Conclusions:

• Increased deep structure complexity negatively impacts RC comprehension in typically developing Japanese-speaking children.
• Children with SLI experience significant challenges in comprehending both subject and object relative sentences.
• Poorer working memory abilities are the primary constraint on the RC comprehension performance of children with SLI.