Retrieval-Based Word Learning in Developmental Language Disorder During Book Reading

Summary

Children with developmental language disorder (DLD; also referred to as specific language impairment) experience a significant deficit in language ability that is longstanding and harmful to the children's academic, social, and eventual economic well-being. Word learning is one of the principal weaknesses in these children. This project focuses on the word learning abilities of four- and five-year-old children with DLD. The goal of the project is to build on the investigators' previous work to determine whether, as has been found thus far, special benefits accrue when these children must frequently recall newly introduced words during the course of learning. In this study, the investigators seek to replicate the advantage that repeated retrieval holds over simple exposure to the words and to demonstrate an increase in children's absolute levels of learning by implementing retrieval practice in the context of a story book.

Conditions

• Developmental Language Disorder
• Specific Language Impairment
• Language Development

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Retrieval-based word learning: Repeated Spaced Retrieval condition

Each child will learn 8 novel nouns referring to unfamiliar plants and animals ("nepp") and a related "meaning" ("a nepp likes rain") in the context of a story book. Four of the nouns will be will be learned using repeated spaced retrieval. In this condition, they will initially hear the information and be asked to retrieve it. Thereafter, they will be asked to retrieve it after hearing 3 intervening words. After each retrieval attempt, they will hear the target information again. This procedure will occur on two consecutive days.

BEHAVIORAL

Retrieval-based word learning: Repeated Study condition

Each child will learn 8 novel nouns referring to unfamiliar plants and animals ("nepp") and a related "meaning" ("a nepp likes rain") in the context of a story book. Four of the nouns will be will be learned using repeated study trials only (with no retrieval practice). In this condition, they will simply hear the information (word \& meaning) as part of the story. This procedure will occur on two consecutive days.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)

  collaborator NIH

• Purdue University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Laurence B. Leonard, PhD · Purdue Universtiy

Study Design

Allocation

NON_RANDOMIZED

Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

NONE

Model

FACTORIAL

Eligibility

Min Age

48 Months

Max Age

71 Months

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2022-10-31

Primary Completion

2024-09-17

Completion

2024-09-17

Countries

• United States

Study Locations