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• This study examined the environmental and biological correlates of academic competency in preschool-age children. • Poorer academic skills were linked to higher cumulative biological stress levels and poor biological stress regulation • Sensitive maternal behaviors and parental education were both uniquely related to academic skills. Low socioeconomic status (SES) is a risk factor for unpreparedness for formal school entry. However, it is unclear how specific SES domains or factors related to SES, such as maternal caregiving style or child biological stress regulation, uniquely contribute to a child's academic competency. We examined the relation between early biological stress, SES, and caregiving style with the academic competency domain of school readiness in a preschool-age sample (N = 91) using multidimensional measures of SES, measures of maternal behavior, child hair cortisol concentrations, and diurnal salivary cortisol. We also investigated which correlates uniquely contribute to academic competency as indexed by the Bracken School Readiness Assessment and the NIH Picture Vocabulary Test. Higher cumulative biological stress, indexed through hair cortisol concentrations, was related to lower scores on both measures. Poor biological stress regulation, indexed by a flatter diurnal cortisol slope, was related to lower receptive vocabulary. More sensitive maternal behaviors and measures indicating higher SES were related to better performance in both academic competency measures. Of these significant associations, maternal intrusion and parental education uniquely contributed to pre-academic skills beyond other measures, whereas maternal structuring and parental education uniquely contributed to receptive vocabulary. These results provide new evidence that biological stress is related to academic competency in early childhood and demonstrate the importance of structured, non-intrusive parenting when preparing children for long-term academic success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The adverse impact of depressive symptoms on adolescents' physical and psychological health is becoming increasingly prominent. This study aims to examine the association between sleep duration, cognitive function, and depressive symptoms among Chinese adolescents.Methods: This study used data on a sample of 3724 adolescents collected from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS). The multivariate logistic regression was conducted to estimate the association between sleep duration, cognitive function (measured by mathematics and vocabulary), and depressive symptoms among Chinese adolescents; the mediating effects of cognitive function were calculated by mediating model.Results: The study found that approximately 6.49 % of Chinese adolescents had depressive symptoms, with an average CES-D8 score of 4.27 (SD: 3.11). Adolescents who reported a sleep duration of <6 h/night (OR = 2.34; 95 % CI = 1.30, 4.24) were at a higher risk of depressive symptoms, and the adolescents who had higher mathematics scores (>75 %) were more likely to be at a lower risk of depressive symptoms. Besides, the cognitive function competitively mediated the effect of sleep duration on depressive symptom (indirect effect = 0.043; 95 % CI = 0.023, 0.064).Limitations: This is a cross-sectional study; all questions were self-reported; the sleep variable only included the sleep duration.Conclusions: Our study highlights that short sleep duration might increase the risk of depressive symptoms, and increasing cognitive function might reduce the occurrence of depressive symptoms in Chinese adolescents. The results displayed that sleep duration had a negatively direct effect on depressive symptoms, but the indirect effects of sleep duration on depressive symptoms via the cognitive function (i.e., mathematics and vocabulary tests) were significantly positive, indicating that the relationship between sleep duration and depressive symptoms was competitively mediated by cognitive function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lutein and zeaxanthin are carotenoids associated with better cognition in older adults. Recent evidence suggest that their dietary intake may also have cognitive implications in childhood.Objectives: To examine associations of early childhood lutein and zeaxanthin (L/Z) intake with cognition in early and mid-childhood.Methods: Among 1378 children in Project Viva, a prospective cohort, mothers reported their child's dietary intake in early childhood (median 3.2 years) using a food frequency questionnaire. Child cognition and behavior were assessed at the same timepoint using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT-III) and the Wide Range Assessment of Visual Motor Abilities (WRAVMA); and at mid-childhood (median 7.7 years) using the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test, the WRAVMA drawing subtest, the Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning, the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF), and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire.Results: Children consumed a daily mean (SD) of 1.0 (0.4) mg of L/Z in early childhood. Children in the third quartile category of L/Z intake had a mean PPVT-III score 2.40 (95%CI: 0.27, 4.53) points higher than children in the lowest quartile category in early childhood, suggesting better receptive vocabulary. Children in the highest quartile category of L/Z intake had a parent-reported mean BRIEF Global Executive Composite score 1.65 (95%CI: -3.27, -0.03) points lower than children in the lowest quartile category in mid-childhood, indicating better executive function. We did not observe associations between L/Z intake and any of the other cognitive or behavioral outcomes assessed.Conclusion: The overall findings do not provide strong evidence of an association between child L/Z intake and cognition and behavior. However, the positive associations found between early childhood L/Z intake and early childhood receptive vocabulary and mid-childhood executive function, in addition to previous evidence of neurodevelopmental benefit of L/Z intake, suggest that this relationship deserves further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We aimed to investigate the roles of fluid intelligence, semantic knowledge, and personality using the semantic similarity test (SST), which assesses participants' relational reasoning abilities. • We developed the Japanese version of SST which had the same number of items as the original SST and the reasonable test-retest reliability. • The Japanese version of the SST was related to both semantic knowledge and fluid intelligence but has a limited relationship with the Big Five personality traits, especially openness. This study investigated the roles of fluid intelligence, semantic knowledge, and personality using the semantic similarity test (SST), which assesses participants' relational reasoning abilities. Based on the original SST (Stamenković et al., Journal of Memory and Language , 105: 108–118, 2019), in Study 1, we developed the Japanese version of the SST with 20-word pairs (e.g., "time-river") and rubrics (e.g., "it flows" corresponds to 2 pts) to classify participants' brief explanations into three levels (2 pts, perfectly captures the relationship of two words; 1 pt, partially captures the relationship of two words; 0 pt, bad response) for each. In Studies 2 and 4, we confirmed that the SST scores showed a weak to moderate positive correlation with both vocabulary indices (the Japanese Vocabulary Size Estimation Test and vocabulary test derived from the WAIS-IV Vocabulary subscale) and the fluid intelligence index (Raven Progressive Matrices Short); however, it did not show a positive correlation with openness. In Study 3, we confirmed that the SST had reasonable test–retest reliability. These results showed that the Japanese version of the SST is related to both semantic knowledge and fluid intelligence, but has a limited relationship with the Big Five personality traits, especially openness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the previous literature finds robust evidence that children who enter school at a more advanced age have better test scores than their younger classmates, only little is known about the persistence of this effect into adulthood. This study is the first to analyze whether the school starting age even affects test scores long after school graduation. The scores were conducted as part of a representative survey of adults, measuring math and language competencies. Exploiting state and year variation in school entry regulations, the results show that a higher school starting age significantly increases competencies in receptive vocabulary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Teaching Early Literacy and Language TELL is a tier one curriculum tested in an RCT with 91 teachers and the 289 children with developmental speech and/or language impairmen. • Curriculum-based measures developed for TELL were administered to all children at six time points across the school year. • Growth curve estimates indicated increased magnitude of growth for children who received TELL when compared to children in the BAU condition. • CBMs data indicated that children in TELL significantly outperformed their BAU counterparts in all skill areas. • A TELL effect was noted for one of the distal measures (pre-post receptive and expressive vocabulary). Young children with developmental speech and/or language impairment (DSLI) often fail to develop oral language and early literacy skills that are foundational for subsequent schooling and reading success. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the efficacy of the Teaching Early Literacy and Language (TELL) curriculum and associated evidence-based teaching practices. Participants included 91 preschool classroom teachers and 202 male and 87 female preschoolers with DSLI who were enrolled in their classes. Children ranged in age from 43 to 63 months. In this cluster RCT, classroom teachers were randomly assigned to implement the TELL curriculum or to continue with their business-as-usual (BAU) curriculum. Proximal outcomes were assessed with investigator developed curriculum-based measures (CBMs) administered six times over the school year. Distal tests (pre-post) of oral language and early literacy skills included an investigator-developed pre-post expressive and receptive vocabulary test, two additional standardized measures (Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-Preschool 2nd Edition, the Test of Preschool Early Literacy). A benchmarked early literacy assessment, the Phonological Awareness and Literacy Screening PreK, was also administered. Results indicated a significant TELL effect for all CBMs at later measurement points with Cohen's ds in the medium (0.43) to very large (1.25) range. TELL effects were also noted for the distal vocabulary measure with small to medium between-group effect sizes (Cohen's f^2 range from 0.02 to 0.44). There were no significant TELL effects for the standardized distal measures. Based on progress measures, the TELL curriculum was effective for improving the oral language and early literacy skills of young children with DSLI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Large-scale research studies face challenges assessing DLLs. • We examine performance of the pre LAS and preferred language on EOWPVT-SBE for language routing. • The pre LAS differentiates scores on other measures but is not a Guttman scale. • Preferred language on EOWPVT-SBE differentiates scores on other measures and could be used for routing. This study conducted analyses that examined the performance of the Preschool Language Assessment Scale (pre LAS) and the Expressive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test (EOWPVT-3: SBE), a conceptually scored vocabulary measure, for determining dual language learner (DLL) children's language path through a direct assessment battery. We draw on data from two studies of programs serving linguistically-diverse children, the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES) and the Universal Preschool Child Outcomes Study (UPCOS), both of which used the pre LAS for routing. Several key findings should inform future language routing procedures. Findings suggested that, beyond use for language screening purposes, the pre LAS could be used to help differentiate DLL children's scores on other measures of development. In addition, the items are not ordered in terms of difficulty, which has implications for how pre LAS scores should be used. We also find that language of response on the EOWPVT-3: SBE signals Spanish-English DLLs' readiness to respond to language-specific assessments in English. This research suggests that, when using the pre LAS to route children appropriately, assessment procedures should consider using total rather than consecutive errors. It also suggests that other assessment measures, such as the EOWPVT-3: SBE, can be considered for use in language routing specifically with Spanish-English DLLs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined whether cognitive reserve (CR) impacts level of, or rate of change in, biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and small-vessel cerebrovascular disease in >250 individuals who were cognitively normal and middle-aged and older at the baseline. The four primary biomarker categories commonly examined in studies of AD were measured longitudinally: cerebrospinal fluid measures of amyloid (A) and tau (T); cerebrospinal fluid and neuroimaging measures of neuronal injury (N); and neuroimaging measures of white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) to assess cerebrovascular pathology (V). CR was indexed by a composite score including years of education, reading, and vocabulary test performance. Higher CR was associated with lower levels of WMHs, particularly among those who subsequently progressed from normal cognition to MCI. CR was not associated with WMH trajectories. In addition, CR was not associated with either levels of, or rate of change in, A/T/N biomarkers. This may suggest that higher CR is associated with lifestyle factors that reduce levels of cerebrovascular disease, allowing individuals with higher CR to better tolerate other types of pathology. • Cognitive reserve (CR) reduces the impact of neuropathology on cognition. • The neurobiological mechanisms underlying CR are not well understood. • Higher CR was associated with lower levels of WMH, but not change in WMH over time. • CR was unrelated to AD biomarkers of amyloid, tau, and neurodegeneration. • Lower cerebrovascular disease may be a mechanism by which CR impacts cognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the central role of vocabulary in language learning, and the increasing interest in academic vocabulary, materials for testing academic vocabulary are not common. This paper reports on the development of a new test of academic vocabulary. Test items were based on a relatively recently developed list of academic vocabulary. They were then piloted, refined, and two comparable forms of the test were produced. The paper describes the approaches used to assess the validity and equivalence of the two forms of the test. Research and pedagogical implications and uses of the test are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowing academic words is essential to achieving success at university, so reliable tests are needed to estimate students' academic vocabulary. Recently, attention has been drawn to how cognates may overestimate vocabulary test results, making such tests unsuitable for placement. Here, we investigated whether a combination of results from two tests could be used for academic placement purposes despite cognate inflation effects. We assessed the receptive vocabulary knowledge of 106 Polish English majors (B2 level or higher) via the Vocabulary Size Test (VST; Nation & Beglar, 2007) and a tailor-made checklist Academic Vocabulary Test (AVT). The comparison of cognates and non-cognates in both tests evinced a clear cognate inflation, which distorted the scores. However, a regression analysis indicated that scores in the VST significantly predicted students' scores in the AVT. Furthermore, cluster analyses combining both tests' scores identified the VST threshold at or above which successful performance in the AVT was highly likely. Thanks to the identification of this threshold, we argue that the VST can be reliably used for placement purposes with English majors in Poland. We also explain why some low-frequency VST bands become disproportionally easy due to the existence of cognates typically present across languages. • First and second year English majors do not differ in academic word knowledge. • L1-L2 cognates are known better than other words in L2 general and academic tests. • VST predicts performance on a tailor-made academic vocabulary test (AVT). • Cluster analyses reveal a cut-off point on VST for academic word knowledge. • Students scoring below 9900 in the VST need instruction in academic vocabulary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on a mixed-methods study regarding the extent to which the extramural English (EE), external attributions, self-efficacy (concerning EFL reading, speaking, writing, and listening skills), and gender of 42 students, learning English as a foreign language (EFL) in a Norwegian upper-secondary school, predicted their EFL learning outcomes. Data on participants' EE (receptive and productive), external attributions, and self-efficacy were collected through a questionnaire and language diaries, while their learning outcomes were measured through a language proficiency test, mock exam, in-depth project, and receptive and productive vocabulary tests. The data revealed several interesting findings, including participants' receptive EE statistically significantly and negatively predicting their productive vocabulary test scores, whereas their writing self-efficacy and attributions to specifically literature, TV, and film statistically significantly and positively predicted them. Moreover, neither receptive nor productive EE was found to mediate the relationship between self-efficacy, external attributions, and learning outcomes. • Receptive extramural English statistically significantly and negatively predicted productive vocabulary knowledge. • Writing self-efficacy and attributions to literature, TV, and film positively correlated with productive vocabulary knowledge. • Self-efficacy and external attributions were the most consistent predictors of learning outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Objectives Single word tests are used frequently to determine clients' speech sound errors. These tools are user-friendly and popular for speech and language pathologists. The aim of this study was to design and validate a single word test for the assessment of speech sound production for Persian speaking children. Methods The present study included two phases. In phase I, test material was developed. Psychometric properties were evaluated in phase II. In the next phase, 525 typically developing Persian-speaking children with the age range of 3–5 years old were studied. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 24.0 (SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL) was used for statistical analysis of this study. The significance level was set at (p < 0.05). Pilot study was performed by administrating the test on 25 typically developing children, construct validity: by administrating the test on 400 typically developing children and the comparison of performance of the children in 4 age groups (discriminative validity regarding age and by administration of this test and phonetic subtest of Persian version of diagnostic evaluation of articulation and phonology on 100 children (convergent validity)). Inter-rater reliability was performed by transcription and scoring of samples of 25 children and calculation of Intra Correlation Coefficient (ICC) was calculated. Test-retest was completed by administrating the test two times on 30 children with two weeks intervals. Internal consistency was achieved by the calculation of the correlation of the items of test. Results The final version of the test includes 70 target words for assessment of the consonants in three positions, vowels in medial position and consonant clusters (CVCC). There was 80% or more than it for the percentage agreement between experts for the content validity. There wasn't any significant difference between experts' responses about items of the test. 4 pictures were revised based on children's responses for the pilot study. All of the reliability values (test-re test, internal consistency and inter-rater reliability) were higher than 0.85. There was a significant difference between the four age groups for the mean value of Persian single word test for speech sound production (p < 0.0001). There was a high correlation between the score of this instrument and the scores of participants in the Phonetic sub-test of the Persian version of Diagnostic evaluation of articulation and phonology(r = 0.934, p < 0.0001). Conclusion It seems that the Persian Speech sound Production Test is a reliable and valid tool that can be used to measure speech sound errors for Persian speaking children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies of bilingual proficiency have largely focused on word and sentence processing, whereas the text level has received relatively little attention. We examined on-line second language (L2) text comprehension in relation to L2 proficiency with ERPs recorded on critical words separated across a sentence boundary from their co-referential antecedents. The integration processes on the critical words were designed to reflect different levels of text representation: word-form, word-meaning, and situational level (Kintsch, 1998). Across proficiency level, bilinguals showed biphasic N400/late positive component (LPC) effects related to word meaning integration (N400) and mental model updating (LPC) processes. More proficient bilinguals, compared with less proficient bilinguals, showed reduced amplitudes in both N400 and LPC when the integration depended on semantic and conceptual meanings. When the integration was based on word repetitions and inferences, both groups showed reduced N400 negativity while elevated LPC positivity. These effects reflect how memory mechanisms (processes and resources) support the tight coupling among word meaning, readers’ memory of the text meaning and the referentially-specified meaning of the text. They further demonstrate the importance of L2 semantic and conceptual processing in modulating the L2 proficiency effect on L2 text integration processes. These results align with the assumption that word meaning processes are causal components in variations of comprehension ability for both monolinguals and bilinguals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuropsychological test-based norms are vital for accurate assessment of older adults' level of cognition. Hence, it is important that these scores are not conflated with birth cohort effects. With data drawn from the Swedish Good Ageing in Skåne (GÅS) population study, this study examined birth cohort effects on test scores measuring several cognitive domains. A time-lag design with three distinct birth years, separated by 5–7 years, and with two age-matched samples of older participants, was used. Participants aged 60 were born 1942–1955 and those aged 81 were born 1920–1933. Results reveal significant ( p < 0.05) birth cohort effects on speed of processing, episodic memory, attention, executive functioning and vocabulary test scores. Effect sizes for specific cohort comparisons (e.g. 1942–43 vs. 1947–48) were modest (Cohen's d = 0.19–0.43). When adjusting for participants' level of education classified in years or in categories, birth cohort effects on test scores remained stable. Findings support the presence of birth cohort effects in samples of older adults, showing that participants' level of education cannot fully account for these effects. Thus, neuropsychological test scores should routinely be examined for birth cohort effects in cross-sectional data for a correct assessment of cognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nearly half of all children with CP experience intellectual impairment, with impacts on academic achievement. To assess cognitive and academic functioning for primary-school aged children with CP This population-based cohort study assessed 93 participants (male n = 62; mean = 9 years 9 months, SD 1 y 1.8 months) on measures of fluid and crystallised intelligence (Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices, Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test) and academic achievement (Wechsler Individual Achievement Test). Analyses included t -tests, Pearson's chi-square and regression. 41 (44.1%) children met criteria consistent with intellectual developmental disorder. Academic skills were significantly below population means on word reading (M= 85.4, SD = 19.3), t (66) = −6.2, p <.001; spelling (M=83.3, SD=19.7) t (65) = −6.87, p <.001; and numerical operations (M=72.9, SD=21.7) Z = 66.0, p <.001. Cognitive ability was associated with GMFCS level (χ² (1, N = 93) = 16.15, p <.001) and diagnosis of epilepsy (χ² (2, N = 93) = 11.51 p =.003). Crystallised and fluid intelligence together accounted for 65% of the variance in word reading, 56% in spelling and 52% in numerical operations. Many children with CP experience academic challenges. Screening is recommended for all children with CP and full psychoeducational assessment undertaken when children with CP experience academic difficulties. • Assessment of cognition and academic skills in a representative sample of children with CP. • Assessment selection allowed for a majority of children from GMFCS levels I to IV to be assessed on measures of reasoning and academic achievement. • Results indicate children with CP are more likely to perform below expected on fluid reasoning measures than crystallised intelligence measures. • Risk for children with CP is higher for specific learning disorders, particularly in mathematics. • Fluid intelligence accounted for more variability in performance in maths than verbal intelligence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the distribution and cumulative effects resulting from the interplay of diverse salient modifiers in question-response sessions in dissertation defenses. The quantitative results of the study show a high prevalence of modifiers used in the defense corpus. These results are consistent with findings observed in other native and non-native corpora of various academic spoken genres, confirming their crucial importance across generic, cultural and disciplinary boundaries. Statistical comparison of modifiers between the committee and candidate sub-corpora reveals a high degree of homogeneity in type and frequency, except for certain modifiers prefacing disagreement, involvement and intrusion of a subjective stance. Significant numerical discrepancies can be attributed to committees’ institutional obligations to question, challenge candidates by introducing conflicting opinions and evoke common ground in the consensus-seeking process. However, qualitative analysis of the majority of common modifiers reveals that their genre-bound functions are largely shared by the opposing groups as strategic elements for securing their original contributions to disciplinary knowledge in the rhetorical encounter. These modifiers contribute to the construction of dynamic relationships between participating academics via their distinctive patterns in the dynamics of interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The identification of technical words for teaching discipline-specific EAP courses remains a problem for materials designers and teachers alike. This study proposes a method that identifies technicality and measures the degree of technicality of a word. The Technicality Analysis Model (TAM) suggests five levels of technicality: least technical , slightly technical , moderately technical , very technical and most technical . In identifying technicality we take four factors into account: 1) both general and specialised senses of a word; (2) the banding of a word in reference word lists; (3) the polysemy of a word; (4) the literal meaning of a word. The set of categorisation criteria is stringent in the sense that even least technical words may have specialised senses in a specific discipline but those senses may be almost the same as the general sense. All words in more technical categories have specialised senses. We trialled the TAM with 837 financial-sector-specific words generated from a 6.7-million-word corpus of financial texts. Results show that with the categorisation criteria in the technicality analysis, every financial-sector-specific word could be categorised into one of the technical word categories. Future research may use the TAM to develop a repertoire of discipline-specific vocabulary for EAP teaching and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cognate Facilitation Hypothesis proposes that L2 learners register phonetic/orthographic similarities between L1 and L2 lexical items, ascribing L1 meanings to L2 counterparts. This study's purpose was to examine how cognate facilitation varies in degree between frequency and registers (academic versus general). Data were collected from L1 speakers of Romanian or Vietnamese via Schmitt's (2000) Vocabulary Levels Test (VLT), at the 10,000 and Academic levels together with a newly designed VLT comprising extremely low-frequency words. The Romanian group outperformed the Vietnamese one on the cognate-rich Academic level only on account of cognates, but the effect size was moderate and due to dispersion. On the 10,000 level, the Romanian group outperformed the Vietnamese one and once again cognate facilitation was evident only in the Romanian group. However, this time the effect size was large. The same was true in our low-frequency section. Our findings underline the special advantage that cognates bestow on L2 learners in low-frequency bands. For testing, we recommend that performance on cognates and non-cognates be considered separately rather than holistically. The findings also highlight the probability that, in highly specialized disciplines, speakers' language backgrounds would impact the ease or difficulty of acquiring discipline-specific terminology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is common in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), yet the underlying neural mechanisms of this disease state remain unclear. We investigated alterations in the spontaneous brain activity of PD patients with MCI (PD-MCI) relative to cognitively normal PD patients (PD-CN) and healthy control (HC) subjects. In this work, 13 PD-MCI patients, 16 PD-CN patients, and 16 HC subjects completed resting state functional MRI. Spontaneous brain activity was measured by calculating amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (ALFF) values across the whole brain. Between-group differences and correlations between ALFF values and cognitive test scores were analyzed. ALFF values decreased in the right superior temporal gyrus and increased in the left middle temporal gyrus and left superior frontal gyrus of PD-MCI patients compared with PD-CN patients. In the PD-MCI group, ALFF values in the left middle temporal gyrus were negatively correlated with Montreal Cognitive Assessment and vocabulary test scores, and the ALFF values in the left superior frontal gyrus were negatively correlated with vocabulary test scores. Our study demonstrates that PD-MCI is associated with abnormal spontaneous brain activity in the temporal and frontal lobes. These findings inform the underlying neural mechanism of cognitive impairment in PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Language learners must learn the meanings of many thousands of words, despite those words occurring in complex environments in which infinitely many meanings might be inferred by the learner as a word's true meaning. This problem of infinite referential uncertainty is often attributed to Willard Van Orman Quine. We provide a mathematical formalisation of an ideal cross-situational learner attempting to learn under infinite referential uncertainty, and identify conditions under which word learning is possible. As Quine's intuitions suggest, learning under infinite uncertainty is in fact possible, provided that learners have some means of ranking candidate word meanings in terms of their plausibility; furthermore, our analysis shows that this ranking could in fact be exceedingly weak, implying that constraints which allow learners to infer the plausibility of candidate word meanings could themselves be weak. This approach lifts the burden of explanation from 'smart' word learning constraints in learners, and suggests a programme of research into weak, unreliable, probabilistic constraints on the inference of word meaning in real word learners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structure of events can influence later memory for information that is embedded in them, with evidence indicating that event boundaries can both impair and enhance memory. The current study explored whether the presence of event boundaries during encoding can structure information to improve memory. In Experiment 1, memory for a list of words was tested in which event structure was manipulated by having participants walk through a doorway, or not, halfway through the word list. In Experiment 2, memory for lists of words was tested in which event structure was manipulated using computer windows. Finally, in Experiments 3 and 4, event structure was manipulated by having event shifts described in narrative texts. The consistent finding across all of these methods and materials was that memory was better when the information was distributed across two events rather than combined into a single event. Moreover, Experiment 4 demonstrated that increasing the number of event boundaries from one to two increased the memory benefit. These results are interpreted in the context of the Event Horizon Model of event cognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The word segmentation paradigm originally designed by Jusczyk and Aslin (1995) has been widely used to examine how infants from the age of 7.5 months can extract novel words from continuous speech. Here we report a series of 13 studies conducted independently in two British laboratories, showing that British English-learning infants aged 8-10.5 months fail to show evidence of word segmentation when tested in this paradigm. In only one study did we find evidence of word segmentation at 10.5 months, when we used an exaggerated infant-directed speech style. We discuss the impact of variations in infant-directed style within and across languages in the course of language acquisition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Vocabulary knowledge and speechreading are important for deaf children's reading development but it is unknown whether they are independent predictors of reading ability.Aims: This study investigated the relationships between reading, speechreading and vocabulary in a large cohort of deaf and hearing children aged 5 to 14 years.Methods and Procedures: 86 severely and profoundly deaf children and 91 hearing children participated in this study. All children completed assessments of reading comprehension, word reading accuracy, speechreading and vocabulary.Outcomes and Results: Regression analyses showed that vocabulary and speechreading accounted for unique variance in both reading accuracy and comprehension for deaf children. For hearing children, vocabulary was an independent predictor of both reading accuracy and comprehension skills but speechreading only accounted for unique variance in reading accuracy.Conclusions and Implications: Speechreading and vocabulary are important for reading development in deaf children. The results are interpreted within the Simple View of Reading framework and the theoretical implications for deaf children's reading are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an ongoing transition in education from paper-based learning and testing to digital learning and testing. The purpose of the present research was to examine whether the relative effectiveness of digital and paper-based learning depends on the medium of testing in the context of foreign-language vocabulary learning. In a controlled experiment, young adults (N = 79) studied and practiced novel foreign-language vocabulary words using two study methods (restudying or retrieval practice) and were then tested on their memory for these words to assess learning. The study medium and the test medium were either congruent (i.e., paper-based learning and testing; digital learning and testing) or incongruent (paper-based learning and digital testing; digital learning and paper-based testing). The results revealed a study-test medium congruency effect: Paper-based learning yielded better test performance than digital learning when the test was conducted on paper, but this effect was eliminated when the test was digital. This effect may have important practical educational implications as it challenges common practices for vocabulary learning such as using digital tools to study vocabulary for on-paper memory tests. • The research examined the effect of medium on foreign-language vocabulary learning and testing. • The effectiveness of digital vs. paper-based learning depended on the test medium. • There was an advantage for paper-based learning when the test was on paper. • This advantage was eliminated when the test was digital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conduct an online experiment in which participants take a multiple-choice vocabulary exam with scores described using either a "loss frame" or a "gain frame" to examine how exam framing affects item skipping, overall performance, and effort. In the loss frame, participants begin with an "endowment" of points and lose a point for incorrect answers, receive no points for skipped items, and gain a point for correct answers. In the gain frame, participants do not lose points for incorrect answers, gain one point for skipped items, and gain two points for correct answers. Contrary to traditional choice theory, where students may choose to skip more questions if the framing induces loss averse preferences, we find that loss-framed exams lead to less skipping. We also find that the loss frame led to improved overall performance, which appears to be driven by increased effort on the exam among participants in the loss frame group. We find little evidence of a gender differential response to frames. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between cognitive ability and stated political preferences in the United States is examined with data from the General Social Survey, which includes a brief vocabulary test (Wordsum) as a measure of verbal ability. Since the 1970s, liberal and conservative self-identification became increasingly identified with the Democratic and Republican parties, respectively. Liberal self-identification has increasingly been related to higher Wordsum scores since the 1970s, but liberal-conservative differences rarely exceed the equivalent of 3 IQ points. Among Whites, those identifying themselves as “moderate” or “independent” have lower average Wordsum scores than those with stated ideological or political party preferences, contrary to the hypothesis that higher intelligence is related to less extreme political positions. The relationship between Wordsum and Democratic Party affiliation has moved from negative to neutral since the 1970s. In presidential elections, the most consistent finding is that voters scored substantially higher than non-voters. Those voting for the Democratic candidate had higher average scores than those voting for his Republican opponent since 2000. In regression models that control for demographics, higher Wordsum scores are associated with liberal self-identification but not with political party preferences. In conclusion, higher vocabulary scores are associated with a greater likelihood that people place themselves on the ideological and political spectrum and that they vote in presidential elections, but have only small relationships with liberal-versus-conservative self-identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two experiments investigated effects of sleep on consolidation and integration of novel form-meaning mappings using size congruity and semantic distance paradigms. Both paradigms have been used in previous studies to measure automatic access to word meanings. When participants compare semantic or physical font size of written word-pairs (e.g. BEE–COW), judgments are typically faster if relative sizes are congruent across both dimensions. Semantic distance effects are also found for wellestablished words, with semantic size judgements faster for pairs that differ substantially on this dimension. English-speaking participants learned novel form-meaning mappings with Mandarin (Experiment 1) or Malay (Experiment 2) words and were tested following overnight sleep or a similar duration awake. Judgements on English words controlled for circadian effects. The sleep group demonstrated selective stronger size congruity and semantic distance effects for novel word-pairs. This benefit occurred in Experiment 1 for semantic size comparisons of novel words, and in Experiment 2 on comparisons where novel pairs had large distances and font differences (for congruity effects) or in congruent trials (for semantic distance effects). Conversely, these effects were equivalent across sleep and wake for English words. Experiment 2 included polysomnography data and revealed that changes in the strength of semantic distance and congruity effects were positively correlated with slow-wave sleep and sleep spindles respectively. These findings support systems consolidation accounts of declarative learning and suggest that sleep plays an active role in integrating new words with existing knowledge, resulting in increased automatic access of the acquired knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

College-age adults who are skilled at reading use sentence context and morphemic information to learn definitions for new words they encounter in print (e.g., Tong et al., 2014). Often, the definitions that adult readers are learning are for word forms that already exist in their mental lexicon (Hulme et al., 2019). Readers demonstrate discrepancies between confidence in what they are retaining during reading and what they actually recall after reading (e.g., Sperling et al., 2004). Thus, metacognitive awareness is undoubtedly important for vocabulary learning. Few studies have investigated the role of metacognition in adults' word learning during reading. In the current study, we examined readers' metacognitive awareness and learning for novel compound pseudowords. Participants read sentences containing semantically opaque or transparent novel compound words in informative sentence contexts. Reading times were recorded, and readers judged how well they derived and would remember the novel words' correct definitions. After reading, participants took a surprise vocabulary test. Sentences containing opaque novel compounds were difficult, indicated by longer reading times. Participants were also less confident in their abilities deriving definitions for opaque than transparent words, and were less accurate on the vocabulary test for opaque words. Participants judged making an inference to define opaque compounds as more difficult than for transparent compounds, suggesting awareness of word learning difficulty. Overall, metacognitive judgments were mostly accurate. However, individual readers' accuracy varied greatly. These results provide a start to understanding how incidental vocabulary learning, and monitoring for this, proceeds in skilled (college-level) adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carl (2014) analysed data from the U.S. General Social Survey (GSS), and found that individuals who identify as Republican have slightly higher verbal intelligence than those who identify as Democrat. An important qualification was that the measure of verbal intelligence used was relatively crude, namely a 10-word vocabulary test. This study examines three other measures of cognitive ability from the GSS: a test of probability knowledge, a test of verbal reasoning, and an assessment by the interviewer of how well the respondent understood the survey questions. In all three cases, individuals who identify as Republican score slightly higher than those who identify as Democrat; the unadjusted differences are 1–3 IQ points, 2–4 IQ points and 2–3 IQ points, respectively. Path analyses indicate that the associations between cognitive ability and party identity are largely but not totally accounted for by socio-economic position: individuals with higher cognitive ability tend to have better socio-economic positions, and individuals with better socio-economic positions are more likely to identify as Republican. These results are consistent with Carl's (2014) hypothesis that higher intelligence among classically liberal Republicans compensates for lower intelligence among socially conservative Republicans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine the development of English and Spanish working memory (WM) components within four subgroups of bilingual children. For children who maintained their classification status across testing waves, the results found no WM advantages for additive bilinguals when compared to dominant bilinguals in their respective language. However, an advantage in the executive component of WM was found for those children who transitioned from Spanish dominant to additive bilinguals and an advantage in the phonological loop component of WM was found for those children who transitioned from English dominant to additive bilinguals. The results suggested that for bilinguals who acquire vocabulary proficiency in both languages at a later time point manifest a WM advantage relative to subgroups that maintain stable vocabulary knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glossing facilitates the creation of correct form-meaning connections, but does not encourage inferring or word meaning retrieving. This study investigates the effects of combining glossing with inferring or meaning retrieval on vocabulary learning. One hundred and eighteen university students read a text with target words occurring three times, either glossed or unglossed, under one of three conditions. In the inference-gloss-gloss condition, participants inferred the word meaning in the first word encounter and were provided with glosses for the subsequent two word encounters. In the gloss-retrieval-gloss condition, participants were provided with glosses for the first and last word encounters but had to retrieve the word meaning in the second word encounter. In the full glossing condition, participants were provided with glosses for all the word encounters. Immediately after the intervention, all participants completed a comprehension test and three vocabulary posttests. They completed delayed vocabulary posttests 2 weeks later. The main results showed that the gloss-retrieval-gloss condition was the most effective at improving vocabulary learning. The study concludes that gloss-retrieval-gloss is facilitative to learning new words from context. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Objective: The study focuses on theory-of-mind in adolescents and young adults with Alström syndrome (ALMS). ALMS, an autosomal recessive syndrome causes juvenile blindness, sensorineural hearing loss, cardiomyopathy, endocrinological disorders and metabolic dysfunction. Theory-of-mind (ToM) refers to the ability to impute mental states to one self and to others. Clinical observations have revealed an increased occurrence of deviances in mental state understanding in ALMS. In the present study ToM will be examined and related to working memory (WM), verbal ability and sensory loss. Methods: Twelve young individuals (16–37 years) with ALMS and 24 nondisabled individuals matched on age, gender and educational level participated. ToM was assessed by means of a multiple task that taxes the ability to understand thoughts and feelings of story characters’. WM was examined by means of a reading span task and verbal ability by means of a vocabulary test. Results: The ALMS group performed at significantly lower levels in ToM tasks and displayed a higher variability in performance than the control group. Individuals with ALMS and a relatively poor level performance provided fewer correct mental state inferences in ToM tasks than ALMS individuals with relatively higher performance levels. ALMS individuals with relatively high performance levels made as many correct inferences in ToM tasks as the control group, but their inferences were more often incomplete. Vocabulary skills and educational level, but not WM-capacity predicted ToM performance. Degree of deafblindness did not have an impact on ToM. Age of onset of visual loss but not hearing loss related to ToM. Conclusions: The individuals with ALMS display a high degree of heterogeneity in terms of ToM, where some individuals reached performance levels comparable to nondisabled individuals. The results are discussed with respect to how cognitive and verbal abilities and factors related to the disability affect ToM. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights: [•] We searched for the processes used to understand the meaning of emblems and words. [•] TMS was applied to motor cortex during observation/listening of gestures and words. [•] As controls meaningless gestures, pseudo-words and a still actor were presented. [•] Motor cortex was activated by presentation of meaningless signals only. [•] Understanding emblems and corresponding words probably use semantic circuits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: By two years of age, toddlers are adept at recruiting social, observational, and linguistic cues to discover the meanings of words. Here, we ask how they fare in impoverished contexts in which linguistic cues are provided, but no social or visual information is available. Novel verbs are presented in a stream of syntactically informative sentences, but the sentences are not embedded in a social context, and no visual access to the verb’s referent is provided until the test phase. The results provide insight into how toddlers may benefit from overhearing contexts in which they are not directly attending to the ambient speech, and in which no conversational context, visual referent, or child-directed conversation is available. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine the efficacy of a new habilitation approach, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) intervention using a voice output communication aid (VOCA), in improving speech perception, speech production, receptive vocabulary skills, and communicative behaviors in children with cochlear implants (CIs) who had multiple disabilities. Methods: Five children with mental retardation and/or cerebral palsy who had used CIs over two years were included in this study. Five children in the control group were matched to children who had AAC intervention on the basis of the type/severity of their additional disabilities and chronological age. They had limited oral communication skills after cochlear implantation because of their limited cognition and oromotor function. The children attended the AAC intervention with parents once a week for 6 months. We evaluated their performance using formal tests, including the monosyllabic word tests, the articulation test, and the receptive vocabulary test. We also assessed parent–child interactions. We analyzed the data using a one-group pretest and posttest design. Results: The mean scores of the formal tests performed in these children improved from 26% to 48% in the phoneme scores of the monosyllabic word tests, from 17% to 35% in the articulation test, and from 11 to 18.4 in the receptive vocabulary test after AAC intervention (all p <.05). Some children in the control group showed improvement in the speech perception, speech production, and receptive vocabulary tests for 6 months, but the differences did not achieve statistical significance (all p >.05). The frequency of spontaneous communicative behaviors (i.e., vocalization, gestures, and words) and imitative words significantly increased after AAC intervention (p <.05). Conclusions: AAC intervention using a VOCA was very useful and effective on improving communicative skills in children with multiple disabilities who had very limited oral communication skills after cochlear implantation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Although vocabulary acquisition requires children learn names for multiple things, many investigations of word learning mechanisms teach children the name for only one of the objects presented. This is problematic because it is unclear whether children's performance reflects recall of the correct name–object association or simply selection of the only object that was singled out by being the only object named. Children introduced to one novel name may perform at ceiling as they are not required to discriminate on the basis of the name per se, and appear to rapidly learn words following minimal exposure to a single word. We introduced children to four novel objects. For half the children, only one of the objects was named and for the other children, all four objects were named. Only children introduced to one word reliably selected the target object at test. This demonstration highlights the over-simplicity of one-word learning paradigms and the need for a shift in word learning paradigms where more than one word is taught to ensure children disambiguate objects on the basis of their names rather than their degree of salience. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This study explored how ideologies of language and literacy and social and academic identities were constructed and contested during a literature discussion. In the event, a group of five (and later six) boys in a fourth grade bilingual classroom attempt to identify an unknown word in their novel: booger. Microethnographic discourse analysis and analyses of participants’ movements across the classroom were conducted, and interpretations were informed by spatializing theories of social practice and identities. Findings illustrate how the students’ and teacher''s physical and discursive moves involved the negotiation of multiple ideologies of language learning. Findings suggest the need for a deeper understanding of the micro-level processes in which academic and social identities and learning opportunities for students are forged. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: To investigate the functional significance of the late positive complex (LPC) in the Stroop task, the present study recruited 22 participants and had them report the color of words in the classical Stroop task and the rotation state of words in a Rotation judgment task. Color words whose ink color was either congruent (CON) or incongruent (INCON) with the word's meaning were presented in both tasks. Consistent with previous studies, the N450 and LPC were observed in the Stroop task, accompanied by slowed reaction time (RT) in the INCON condition compared with the CON condition. Notably, a larger LPC was observed in the INCON condition than in the CON condition in the Rotation task, while RT and accuracy were comparable between the two conditions. Because the incongruence between ink color and word meaning was independent from the response, and neither influenced accuracy nor RT in the Rotation task, the results suggested that the LPC may have resulted from the perceptual conflict between ink color and word meaning. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This study aimed to determine how deeply a word is processed in the bilingual brain before the word’s language membership plays a role in lexical selection. In two ERP experiments, balanced Spanish–English bilinguals read lists of words and pseudowords in Spanish and English, and performed in each language (1) a language-specific lexical decision task, e.g., respond to real words in Spanish, and (2) a language-specific category decision tasks, e.g., respond to Spanish words that refer to a person. In Experiment 1, infrequent words elicited larger negativity between 350 and 650ms post-stimulus onset for both target and non-target languages. This indicates that language membership did not block lexical access of non-target words, contrary to previous findings. In Experiment 2, we measured the onset of the target-category P300 as a way of determining if words from the non-target language were temporarily treated as targets. When Spanish was the target language, the ERP waveforms diverged early based on semantic category (people versus non-people), indicating that non-target ‘English people’ words were briefly treated as potential targets. This finding indicates that meaning was accessed prior to using language membership for lexical selection. However, when English was the target language, the waveforms diverged first based on language (Spanish versus English) then semantic category. We argue that the order in which meaning or language membership are accessed may be based on the frequency of use of a bilingual’s languages: the more frequently a language is used (English was more frequently used herein), the faster the words are identified as members of the language, and the greater interference it causes when it is not the target language. In brief, these findings make the case for a moment in processing when language membership matters less than meaning. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Language comprehension studies have demonstrated that effector-specific activation of the motor system supports the representation of word meaning. The aim of the present study was to test whether motor activation is also relevant for verb production. In the first part of the experiment, participants named photographs of actions either in effector-homogeneous blocks, with all actions involving the same effector, or effector-heterogeneous blocks, with actions involving different effectors. Action-naming latencies were longer in homogeneous blocks, indicating the activation of effector information. In the second part of the experiment, the same participants named action pictures in random order, while performing a motor task with either their hand or foot. The motor task caused interference for action-picture naming: latencies were longer when the effector of the depicted action was congruent with the effector of the action used in the motor task. While these results do not exclude the existence of abstract semantic representations, they indicate that effector-specific effects found in language comprehension extend to language production. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Background: More information is needed on ‘low-risk’ preterm infants'' neurological outcome so that they can be included in follow-up programs at least until school age. Objective: To examine the neuropsychological outcome in a group of low-risk low birth weight (LBW) children without neurological impairment followed from birth to 5years of age. Patients: 26 intellectually normal children born preterm (30–34weeks gestation) without major neurological disabilities and 23 control children born at term and matched for age, sex, and parental educational and occupational status. Methods: Subjects already evaluated at 3years of age underwent assessment again at 5years using as neuropsychological outcome measures a wide range of tests including perceptual and visual–motor function, language comprehension and expression, and attention skills. Results: When tested at 5years, children born preterm still obtained significantly lower mean scores than controls on visual motor integration test (57 vs 64, p=0.01), visual perception test (41 vs 43, p=0.002) and a trend toward a lower score in the picture vocabulary test (81 vs 85.5, p=0.07). The group of premature infants and controls improved their performance over time in the neuropsychological abilities investigated and, in some skills such as visual perception. Children born preterm took longer than those born at term to reach similar performance levels, 5 versus 3years. Conclusion: Ex low-risk children born preterm achieve lower scores over time in visual–motor and perceptual ability scales and in some language tests than children born at term. Like high-risk premature infants even those at low risk deserve regular follow-up with long-term programs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A fundamental issue in the study of reading is to understand the processes involved in determining word meaning from print. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and scanned participants performing lexical decision tasks to discriminate between real Chinese words and non-words, presented either visually or auditorily. For the visual task, two left inferior frontal cortical regions were significantly more activated for non-words than for words, one in BA (Brodmann''s area) 44/45 implied in phonological processing, and one in BA47 implied in semantic processing. For the auditory task, stronger neural activity for non-words, relative to words, was only found in BA44/45 but not in BA47. The results were interpreted to suggest that printed words in Chinese can directly activate their semantic representations, independent of an indirect, mediated pathway through phonology. In reference to related imaging studies on English, our finding implies a greater reliance on orthography in Chinese reading. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In acquiring number words, children exhibit a qualitative leap in which they transition from understanding a few number words, to possessing a rich system of interrelated numerical concepts. We present a computational framework for understanding this inductive leap as the consequence of statistical inference over a sufficiently powerful representational system. We provide an implemented model that is powerful enough to learn number word meanings and other related conceptual systems from naturalistic data. The model shows that bootstrapping can be made computationally and philosophically well-founded as a theory of number learning. Our approach demonstrates how learners may combine core cognitive operations to build sophisticated representations during the course of development, and how this process explains observed developmental patterns in number word learning. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: There has been little research on academic writers that shows how social interaction influences the construction of “discoursal identity” (the impressions that writers convey about themselves in their texts and that readers develop about writers). This study analyzes a collaborative writing session among college students to explore the negotiation of discoursal identity in the selection of a single word, discourse. Drawing on video-based conversation analysis and ethnographic methods, it argues that the writers’ embodied stances on the word discourse index an array of identities: that of the teacher and class (over)using the word, the teacher reading the word, the good student who fluently uses the word, the student who displays that the word is not a natural part of her vocabulary, and the student who is trying not to “show off.” Through an examination of stancetaking during group work and interviews, this study details how interaction constructs discoursal identities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We examined the applicability of the Home Literacy Model in an orthographically transparent language (Greek). Seventy Greek children were followed from kindergarten until grade 4. In kindergarten they were tested in non-verbal intelligence, vocabulary, phonological sensitivity, rapid naming, and letter knowledge. The parents of the children also responded on a questionnaire regarding the frequency of storybook reading, the number of books at home, and the frequency of teaching letter names, sounds, and words. Reading fluency and comprehension were measured in grade 4. The results indicated that the early home literacy experience variables were related to the emergent literacy skills but did not directly predict future reading skills. Thus, the Home Literacy Model applies to consistent orthographies before any formal reading instruction takes place. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Studies using event related potentials have shown that men are more likely than women to rely on semantic cues when understanding emotional speech. In a previous functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) study, using an affective sentence classification task, we were able to separate areas involved in semantic processing and areas involved in the processing of affective prosody (Beaucousin et al., 2007). Here we searched for sex-related differences in the neural networks active during emotional speech processing in groups of men and women. The ortholinguistic abilities of the participants did not differ when evaluated with a large battery of tests. Although the neural networks engaged by men and women during emotional sentence classification were largely overlapping, sex-dependent modulations were detected during emotional sentence classification, but not during grammatical sentence classification. Greater activity was observed in men, compared with women, in inferior frontal cortical areas involved in emotional labeling and in attentional areas. In conclusion, at equivalent linguistic abilities and performances, men activate semantic and attentional cortical areas to a larger extent than women during emotional speech processing. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A central question in spoken word recognition research is whether words are recognized relationally, in the context of other words in the mental lexicon (). The current research evaluated metrics for measuring the influence of the mental lexicon on visually perceived (lipread) spoken word recognition. Lexical competition (the extent to which perceptually similar words influence recognition of a stimulus word) was quantified using metrics that are well-established in the literature, as well as a novel statistical method for calculating perceptual confusability, based on the Phi-square statistic. The Phi-square statistic proved an effective measure for assessing lexical competition and explained significant variance in visual spoken word recognition beyond that accounted for by traditional metrics. Because these values include the influence of a large subset of the lexicon (rather than only perceptually similar words), it suggests that even perceptually distant words may receive some activation, and therefore provide competition, during spoken word recognition. This work supports and extends earlier research (; ) that proposed a common recognition system underlying auditory and visual spoken word recognition and provides support for the use of the Phi-square statistic for quantifying lexical competition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: “Missing-feature” techniques to improve speech recognition accuracy are based on the blind determination of which cells in a spectrogram-like display of speech are corrupted by the effects of noise or other types of disturbance (and hence are “missing”). In this paper we present three new approaches that improve the speech recognition accuracy obtained using missing-feature techniques. It had been found in previous studies (e.g. ) that Bayesian approaches to missing-feature classification are effective in ameliorating the effects of various types of additive noise. While Seltzer et al. primarily used white noise for training their Bayesian classifier, we have found that this is not the best type of training signal when noise with greater spectral and/or temporal variation is encountered in the testing environment. The first innovation introduced in this paper, referred to as frequency-dependent classification, involves independent classification in each of the various frequency bands in which the incoming speech is analyzed based on parallel sets of frequency-dependent features. The second innovation, referred to as colored-noise generation using multi-band partitioning, involves the use of masking noises with artificially-introduced spectral and temporal variation in training the Bayesian classifier used to determine which spectro-temporal components of incoming speech are corrupted by noise in unknown testing environments. The third innovation consists of an adaptive method to estimate the a priori values of the mask classifier that determines whether a particular time-frequency segment of the test data should be considered to be reliable or not. It is shown that these innovations provide improved speech recognition accuracy on a small vocabulary test when missing-feature restoration is applied to incoming speech that is corrupted by additive noise of an unknown nature, especially at lower signal-to-noise ratios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Numerous studies have provided evidence that physical activity promotes cortical plasticity in the adult brain and in turn facilitates learning. However, until now, the effect of simultaneous physical activity (e.g. bicycling) on learning performance has not been investigated systematically. The current study aims at clarifying whether simultaneous motor activity influences verbal learning compared to learning in a physically passive situation. Therefore the learning behavior of 12 healthy subjects (4 male, 19–33 years) was monitored over a period of 3 weeks. During that time, behavioral and electrophysiological responses to memorized materials were measured. We found a larger N400 effect and better performance in vocabulary tests when subjects were physically active during the encoding phase. Thus, our data indicate that simultaneous physical activity during vocabulary learning facilitates memorization of new items. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: Auditory processing disorder (APD) is typically characterised by difficulties in ‘listening’, particularly to speech in a noisy environment, despite normal peripheral function. In school-age children, APD has attracted considerable interest because of suspicions that it may lead to learning difficulties, especially affecting language and literacy. Here, we evaluated auditory and cognitive abilities in a group of children referred for an auditory evaluation on the grounds of a suspected auditory processing disorder (susAPD), and in age-matched children who were typically developing, in order to determine the extent to which any deficits in cognitive abilities could be related to auditory deficits. Methods: A battery of auditory and cognitive tests was applied to 20 susAPD school-age children, all reported as having listening/hearing problems but performing within normal limits for standard audiometric assessments. Also tested was a group of 28 age-matched controls. The auditory tasks consisted of two simple same/different discrimination tasks, one using speech, and one nonspeech. The cognitive evaluation comprised a vocabulary test, a test of grammar and four non-verbal IQ measures. Symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) were assessed in the susAPD group through a standardised questionnaire. Results: A significant proportion of susAPD children appeared to display genuine auditory deficits evidenced by poor performance on at least one of the auditory tasks, although about 1/3 had no detectable deficit. Children in the susAPD group scored consistently lower than the controls on cognitive measures that were both verbal (vocabulary and grammar) and non-verbal. Strikingly, susAPD children with relatively good auditory performance did not differ in cognitive ability from susAPD children with poor auditory performance. Similarly, within-group correlations between auditory and cognitive measures were weak or non-existent. Measures of ADHD did not correlate with any aspect of auditory or cognitive performance. Conclusions: Although children suspected of having APD do show, on average, poorer performance on a number of auditory tasks, the presence or absence of an auditory deficit appears to have little impact on the development of the verbal and non-verbal skills tested here. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]