Retrieval-based Word Learning in Developmental Language Disorder: Adaptive Retrieval Schedule

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 wellbeing. 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 determine whether special benefits accrue when these children must frequently recall newly introduced words during the course of learning. In the current study, the investigators compare a "standard" repeated spaced retrieval schedule, with fixed spacing between hearing a word and attempting to retrieve it, to an "adaptive" repeated spaced retrieval schedule in which opportunities to retrieve a given word are tailored to the individual child's current knowledge state. The goal of the study is to determine whether the adaptive schedule can increase children's absolute levels of learning while maintaining the advantages of repeated spaced retrieval.

Conditions

• Developmental Language Disorder
• Specific Language Impairment
• Language Development

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Retrieval-based word learning: Standard retrieval practice schedule

Novel nouns and their meanings are practiced on 2 consecutive days. At the beginning of each learning session, a retrieval trial will immediately follow hearing the word and what it likes (a study trial). In the standard condition, the remaining retrieval trials for each word will be spaced - occurring only after 3 other words have intervened. This practice schedule is repeated the next day (Day 2).

BEHAVIORAL

Retrieval-based word learning: Adaptive retrieval practice schedule

Novel nouns and their meanings are practiced on 2 consecutive days. At the beginning of each learning session, a retrieval trial will immediately follow hearing the word and what it likes (a study trial). For the remainder of the session, there will be spaced retrieval trials for each word - occurring after 3 words have intervened. In the Adaptive condition, children will have additional retrieval opportunities throughout. These will be provided whenever the child does not remember the word form, whether it is an immediate (initial) or space retrieval trial. This practice schedule is repeated the next day (Day 2).

Sponsors & Collaborators

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

  collaborator NIH

• Purdue University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Laurence B Leonard, PhD · Purdue University

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

2024-08-15

Primary Completion

2025-12-31

Completion

2025-12-31

Countries

• United States

Study Locations