Syntactic categories in the speech of young children.

Examined speech samples from 6 children (aged 2 yrs to 2 yrs 5 mo), with mean lengths of utterance (MLUs) ranging from 2.93 to 4.14, for evidence of 6 syntactic categories: determiner, adjective, noun, noun phrase, preposition, and prepositional phrase. Results indicate that all the Ss showed evidence of all categories, except for the lowest MLU S, whose performance was borderline on adjectives and prepositional phrases. It is suggested that children are sensitive early in life to abstract, formal properties of the speech they hear and must be credited with syntactic knowledge at an earlier point than heretofore generally thought. Results argue against various semantic hypotheses about the origin of syntactic knowledge. It is concluded that the methods and results may be applicable to future investigations of why children's early utterances are short, the nature of children's semantic categories, and the nature of the deviance in the speech of language-deviant children and adults. (41 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The varieties of speech to young children.

This article examines caregiver speech to young children. The authors obtained several measures of the speech used to children during early language development (14-30 months). For all measures, they found substantial variation across individuals and subgroups. Speech patterns vary with caregiver education, and the differences are maintained over time. While there are distinct levels of complexity for different caregivers, there is a common pattern of increase across age within the range that characterizes each educational group. Thus, caregiver speech exhibits both long-standing patterns of linguistic behavior and adjustment for the interlocutor. This information about the variability of speech by individual caregivers provides a framework for systematic study of the role of input in language acquisition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dog versus collie: Vocabulary in speech to young children.

Adult speech to children was recorded during interactions between 2 nursery school teachers and their 2–4 yr old students and between mothers and their 18–30 mo old children. Nouns in 4 general categories were rated for taxonomic level: subordinate (e.g., collie), basic level (e.g., dog), or superordinate (e.g., animal). Basic level nouns were the most frequently used. A further study was conducted to determine whether heavy reliance on basic level vocabulary in speech to children represents a simplification strategy. 80 undergraduates wrote stories about sets of pictures as they would tell the stories to either a child or an adult listener. Ss produced significantly more basic level nouns than subordinate or superordinate nouns for child listeners only, suggesting the use of a simplification strategy. In addition, the proportion of all items labeled at the subordinate level that were also labeled at the basic level was significantly higher in stories for a child listener than in stories for an adult listener. Data suggest that speakers may tend to orient a child listener to the basic level of categorization even when using words at other taxonomic levels. (11 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Brief report: a longitudinal examination of the communicative gestures deficit in young children with autism

OBJECTIVES: To provide Canadian physicians with a standard definition of hypertension in pregnancy, recommendations for laboratory investigations and tests for the assessment and management of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy, and a classification of such disorders. OPTIONS: To improve or not improve Canadian uniformity and standardization in the investigation and classification of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy. OUTCOMES: 1) Accuracy, reliability and practicality of diagnostic clinical criteria for hypertensive disorders in pregnancy. 2) Laboratory tests useful to determine severity and prognosis of disorders as measured by maternal and neonatal adverse outcomes. 3) A classification of disorders for use by Canadian physicians to facilitate uniformity and diffusion of research through a common language. EVIDENCE: Articles on hypertensive disorders in pregnancy published from 1966 to 1996, retrieved through MEDLINE search, related to definitions, tests, diagnostic criteria and classification, as well as documents on diagnosis and classification from authorities in the United States, Europe and Australia and from special interest groups. VALUES: High priority was given to the principle of preventing adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes through the provision of diagnostic criteria for severity and prognosis and through dissemination of reliable and pertinent information and research results using a common language. BENEFITS, HARMS AND COST: Higher degree of vigilance in diagnosing hypertensive disorders in pregnancy, allowing for earlier assessment and intervention, and more efficient dissemination of comparative information through common language. No harm or added cost is perceived at this time. RECOMMENDATIONS: (1) A diastolic blood pressure of 90 mm Hg or more should be the criterion for a diagnosis of hypertension in pregnancy and should trigger investigation and management. Except for very high diastolic readings (110 mm Hg or more), all diastolic readings of 90 mm Hg or more should be confirmed after 4 hours. (2) A regularly calibrated mercury sphygmomanometer, with an appropriate-sized cuff, is the instrument of choice. A rest period of 10 minutes should be allowed before taking the blood pressure. The woman should be sitting upright and the cuff positioned at the level of the heart. (3) Both Korotkoff phase IV and V sounds should be recorded, but the phase IV sound should be used for initiating clinical investigation and management. (4) A urine protein level of more than 0.3 g/d should be the criterion for a diagnosis of proteinuria; 24-hour urine collection should be the standard method for determining proteinuria. (5) Edema and weight gain should not be used as diagnostic criteria. (6) Hypertensive disorders diagnosed during pregnancy should be classified as pre-existing hypertension; gestational hypertension with or without proteinuria; pre-existing hypertension with superimposed gestational hypertension with proteinuria; and unclassifiable antenatally but final classification 42 days after delivery. VALIDATION: Except for expert opinions and reviews solicited for this project, these recommendations need to be field tested and validated in Canada. Guidelines endorsed by the Canadian Hypertension Society and the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada.     

A comparative study of speech perception in young severely retarded children and normally developing infants

The discrimination of minimally paired speech sounds by seven retarded children with a mean age of 3 years, 2 months and a mean IQ of 38.4 was compared with the discrimination performance of eight normally developing 7-month-old infants. Children and infants were tested using the Visually Reinforced Infant Speech Discrimination (VRISD) paradigm in which they were taught to respond with a head turn to a change in a repeating background auditory stimulus. Responses were reinforced by activation of an animated toy. All children proved to be conditionable and both groups evidenced discrimination of the speech contrasts tested. The data suggest that the retarded children have moree difficulty processing a contrast cued by rapid spectral changes (often associated with consonant discrimination) than they do a contrast cued by steady-state spectral information (often associated with the perception of slowly articulated vowels). The normally developing infants did not find rapid spectral cues mor difficult than steady-state cues These results parallel those of Tallal (1976) who found that dynamic cues were specifically difficult for dysphasic children (with normal nonverbal intelligence), but not for linguistically-normal elementary school children.     

Results of systematic speech sound monitoring in children with cleft palate

Two potent inhibitors of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), namely, NG-nitro-L-arginine (NNA) and NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (NMMA) were administered intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v.) in morphine-dependent mice to investigate their effects on abrupt withdrawal and naltrexone-precipitated abstinence signs. Male Swiss-Webster mice were rendered dependent on morphine by subcutaneous implantation of a morphine pellet containing 75 mg of morphine base. Mice implanted with placebo pellets served as controls. NMMA or NNA administered i.c.v. had minimal effects on body weight loss and hypothermia that occur during abrupt withdrawal of morphine. When administered i.c.v., both NNA or NMMA (0.1, 1 and 10 micrograms/mouse) dose-dependently inhibited naltrexone-induced stereotyped jumping behavior in mice. I.c.v. administration of NMMA also attenuated withdrawal induced fecal pellet formation. This effect, however, was not dose-dependent. In conclusion, these results suggest that brain NO plays an important role in the expression of behavioral signs of morphine withdrawal syndrome. In addition, these results support the idea that NOS inhibitors may be potentially useful in the treatment of opioid withdrawal syndrome.     

Incidence and functions of self-reported private speech in young adults: A self-verbalization questionnaire.

The present study employed a self-report approach to study the cognitive and self-regulatory functions of private speech (Vygotsky, 1934/1987, 1978) in young adults. The Self-Verbalization Questionnaire, assessing the use of self-directed speech, was administered to 1,132 undergraduate university students(aged 17–47 yrs). In general, self-verbalization scores were high. Exploratory factor analysis produced a four-factor solution that was readily interpretable in terms of Vygotskian theory. Consistent with the view that private speech serves as a cognitive tool system, the highest scores were reported for questionnaire items loading highly on a factor consisting of cognitive, mnemonic, and attentional uses of self-verbalization. The scales appear to have good internal consistency, high test-retest reliability, and good content and criterion validity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Measuring exploratory behavior in young children: A factor-analytic study.

A battery of 4 tasks designed to measure curiosity and exploratory behavior (preference for unknown, curiosity drawer box, puzzle box, and preference for complexity) was administered to 113 preschool boys and girls and 109 1st- and 2nd-grade girls. No sex differences were found for the preschoolers on any of the 13 variables from the tasks. Age differences, however, were evident; some indicated higher levels of exploration by the older Ss, and others indicated higher levels of exploration by the younger Ss. Despite the age differences, separate factor analyses for preschool boys, preschool girls, and school-aged girls resulted in similar factor structures indicative of both mode of exploration (verbal, tactile) and style of exploration (depth, breadth) factors for all groups. Results are compared and contrasted to findings from other factor analytic studies of curiosity. (12 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Affiliation structures in groups of young children: A computer simulation.

A computer program is described that simulates the emergence of affiliation networks in preschool groups and examines theoretical issues raised by the model, including general issues of validation. The simulation implies that triadic interactions, although observed in preschool groups, are not essential in the formation of affiliative structures (contra F. Strayer and J. Noel, 1986) and that, in this age range, therefore, polyadic friendship groupings can be understood as sets of dyadic relationships. The model also demonstrates how group structures can be generated without reference to group-level processes (contrast W. Hartup, 1983). It also focuses attention on the role played by preference formation in social isolation, by demonstrating that inhibition of preferences can give rise to isolation. The model also suggests that social outcomes are best described by nonlinear functions (cf. W. Roberts; see record 1987-03785-001). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Representation of speech sounds by young infants.

The perceptual representation of speech by young infants was investigated using a modification of the high-amplitude sucking (HAS) procedure. Two-month-old infants were presented with a series of consonant-vowel syllables differing in their phonetic structure. After familiarization with a set of syllables that shared the same initial consonant, the infants' responses to an additional syllable with either the familiar or a novel consonant were examined. The results demonstrated that the infants' representations preserved rather detailed information about both the consonantal and vocalic portions of the syllables. However, there was no indication that the representations were structured as a consonant-vowel sequence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Three-year stability of reflection–impulsivity in young adolescents.

Studied the stability of children's performance on the Matching Familiar Figures Test (MFFT) over a 3-yr period from ages 11 to 14 yrs. In addition, the appropriateness of the new Matching Familiar Figures-20 (MFF20) for use with 14-yr-olds was evaluated. Moderate stability was attained for MFFT latency and errors as well as for a composite index of impulsivity (I score), even when IQ was statistically controlled. The high latency-error correlation attained for MFF20 (–.65) extends its usefulness to early adolescence. The longitudinal results are viewed as adding support to the value of reflection-impulsivity as a stable dimension of cognitive style. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Understanding and assessing communicative disorders in children

The pediatrician is frequently confronted with the problem of diagnosis and treatment of preschool-aged children suspected of having middle ear disease and speech / language impairments. Guidelines for referral of these children (otolaryngologist, audiologist, speech therapist) have not been clearly defined. The use of tympanometry and acoustic reflex testing was described to assist in the diagnosis of middle ear pathology, to provide an objective way to monitor spontaneous or antibiotic-induced remissions and to determine more accurately when a referral for surgical intervention is needed. A 35-item screening test is described, permitting speech and language assessments in the office and quantifying and comparing with age peers: vocabulary, articulation, receptive language and expressive language abilities. These office interventions enhance the physician's ability to judiciously recommend consultations.     

Laughter in young children.

Reviews research studies of laughter in children, and presents a model describing eliciting conditions for laughter and related behavior. It is proposed that laughter occurs after conditions of heightened tension or arousal when at the same time there is a judgment that the situation is safe or inconsequential. The special case of laughter to discrepant or incongruous stimulation is described in detail. It is suggested that laughter serves the function of signaling to a caretaker that a given stimulus is within the child's tolerable limits of arousal. (51 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Characteristics of speech motor development in children.

Pulsed ultrasound was used to study tongue movements in the speech of 11 children, aged 3 yrs 3 mo to 11 yrs 6 mo. The stimuli were CV syllables that were produced at a normal speech rate with alternate vowels stressed. In Ss over 6 yrs of age, the pattern of tongue dorsum movement was identical to that observed in adults. For all Ss, the maximum velocity of tongue dorsum raising and lowering was correlated with the extent of the gesture. The slope of the relationship differed for stressed and unstressed vowels, although the differences were not consistent prior to age 6 yrs. For all Ss, the correlation between displacement and peak velocity was accompanied by a relatively constant interval from the initiation of the movement to the point of maximum velocity. The similarity in the tongue dorsum kinematics of children and adults is consistent with the idea that speech motor development involves a refinement of basic modes of motor operation rather than any significant change in the control of the speech apparatus. The speech data obtained are characteristic of systems that can be described by 2nd-order differential equations. (45 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A social desirability questionnaire for young children.

The Young Children's Social Desirability Scale based on the MMPI L scale model was constructed and administered to 437 nursery school children. Split-half reliabilities were substantial for children over 4 and moderate for those under 4; test-retest reliabilities were moderate for children over 4 and mixed for those under 4. Social desirability scores increased with age, showed a low positive relationship to picture vocabulary IQ, and were unrelated to sex in a high-socioeconomic sample, but were higher for girls in a more general sample. 3 construct validation studies are summarized which indicate that children who score high on the scale are more motivated than low scorers to respond positively to interpersonal demands. (23 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-deception: A postmodern reflection.

The traditional perspective on self-deception, which assumes that the mind can be simultaneously involved in contradictory stories and that there is an integrated understanding of the "truth" somewhere inside, is apparent in most contemporary theories of psychology. A critique of the phenomenon from a postmodern perspective raises questions regarding these assumptions. Ideas from evolutionary biology and research concerning hypnotically induced amnesia are used to support the thesis that self-deception is more a cultural phenomenon maintained by the observer, than a natural phenomenon situated in the individual mind. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Function morphemes in young children's speech perception and production.

Function morphemes or functors (e.g., articles and verb inflections) potentially provide children with cues for segmenting speech into constituents, as well as for labeling these constituents (e.g., noun phrase [NP] and verb phrase [VP]). However, the fact that young children often fail to produce functors may indicate that they ignore these cues in early language acquisition. Alternatively, children may be sensitive to functors in perception, but omit them in production. In 3 experiments, 2-year-olds imitated sentences that contained English or non-English functors and that were controlled for both suprasegmental and segmental factors. Children omitted English functors more frequently than non-English functors, indicating perceptual sensitivity to familiar vs unfamiliar elements. The results suggest that children may be able to use functors early in language acquisition to solve the segmentation and labeling problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A therapeutic milieu for establishing and expanding communicative behaviors in psychotic children

This study describes a clinical intervention program that was used to facilitate development of receptive and expressive language skills in a group of four psychotic children. A group format utilizing an interactive language development teaching procedure combined with a therapeutic milieu was shown to be effective in establishing and expanding communicative behaviors in psychotic children. Nine diagnostic measures were utilized to assess children's performance prior to therapy and at the end of three-month and six-month intervals. Results indicated substantial reduction of delayed and immediate echolalia, jargon, inappropriate stress, pitch, and intonation. Substantial improvement was noted in expressive syntactic and morphological functioning and in the children's ability to generate novel utterances about day-to-day experiences, family, and toys. Increases in children's concept of body image and ego functioning paralleled their improvement in receptive and expressive language development.     

Increasing communicative interactions of young children with autism using a voice output communication aid and naturalistic teaching

We evaluated the effects of a voice output communication aid (VOCA) and naturalistic teaching procedures on the communicative interactions of young children with autism. A teacher and three assistants were taught to use naturalistic teaching strategies to provide opportunities for VOCA use in the context of regularly occurring classroom routines. Naturalistic teaching procedures and VOCA use were introduced in multiple probe fashion across 4 children and two classroom routines (snack and play). As the procedures were implemented, all children showed increases in communicative interactions using VOCAs. Also, there was no apparent reductive effect of VOCA use within the naturalistic teaching paradigm on other communicative behaviors. Teachers' ratings of children's VOCA communication, as well as ratings of a person unfamiliar with the children, supported the contextual appropriateness of the VOCA. Probes likewise indicated that the children used the VOCAs for a variety of different messages including requests, yes and no responses, statements, and social comments. Results are discussed in regard to the potential benefits of a VOCA when combined with naturalistic teaching procedures. Future research needs are also discussed, focusing on more precise identification of the attributes of VOCA use for children with autism, as well as for their support personnel.     

Analogical reasoning in young children.

Assessed the performance of 4- and 5-year-olds on geometric analogy tasks. Each task consisted of 16 analogy problems that were presented in a manipulative, gamelike context and that used attribute blocks that varied on the dimensions of color, size, and shape. Experiment 1 demonstrated that many of the preschoolers were capable of applying analogical reasoning in the solution of geometric analogy problems of the form A:B::C:?. We also found that children who did not consistently reason analogically showed evidence of a reasoning strategy that was governed by a hierarchical rule structure. Experiment 2, in which a modified version of the geometric analogy task in Experiment 1 was used, confirmed the findings of the initial experiment with regard to the analogical reasoning ability of 4- and 5-year-olds. The rule structure was verified for nonanalogical reasoners, whereas analogical reasoners generally exhibited no consistent pattern in their response errors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)