engleski

Processing of verbs in children with specific language impairment

Speed of processing in children with specific language impairment has been studied in various contexts. Generally, results showed that their speed of processing is slower than in children with typical language development. When it comes to linguistic tasks, research on speed of processing verbs in children with specific language impairment is especially interesting since verbs are more complex than other words. This research was conducted to explore differences regarding developmental differences of speed of processing verbs. Three groups of children participated in the study ; (1) children with specific language impairment (SLI), (2) children with typical language development matched to children with SLI on age, and (3) children with typical language development matched to children with SLI on speech-language status. Speed of processing verbs was examined using E-prime software. Children were compared by accuracy and reaction time in picture selection. Stimulus words were presented in auditory form, and children’s task was to choose which one of the three options (presented visually) represents the verb they just heard. One of the pictures represented the target verb, the others contained verb chosen on the basis of phonological similarity with the target verb, and the last one was chosen on the basis of visual similarity with the target verb. Ordering of picture types was random at each trial and target words were presented to children in random order. Data from this research gives support to thesis that children with specific language impairments have difficulties with processing verbs. Besides reaction time and accuracy, types of errors were also analyzed. Obtained results have implications for creating therapeutic goals when working with children with specific language impairments.

speed of processing ; verbs ; specific language impairment

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