Hassanati F, Jafari S, Nilipour R, Sadeghi Z, Ghoreishi Z S. The Effect of Semantic Context on Lexical Access in Children With and Without Developmental Language Disorder. Iranian Rehabilitation Journal 2023; 21 (1) :167-176
URL:
http://irj.uswr.ac.ir/article-1-1680-en.html
1- Pediatric Neurorehabilitation Research Center, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran.; Department of Speech Therapy, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
2- Department of Speech Therapy, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.; Rehabilitation Sciences Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
3- Pediatric Neurorehabilitation Research Center, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
4- Department of Speech Therapy, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract: (1876 Views)
Objectives: Lexical access problems are one of the limitations observed in children with developmental language disorders during the initial years of schooling. Semantic context has a powerful influence on lexical access. The cross-modal visual-auditory picture-word interference paradigm is a method for studying adults and children's lexical access. Because few studies have examined lexical access in Persian-speaking children, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of different semantic contexts on lexical access in children with and without developmental language disorder.
Methods: In this experimental study, 20 children aged 7-9 years with developmental language disorders and 20 age-matched peers were recruited according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. At first, the picture-word interference paradigm was prepared. In so doing, 16 common pictures of objects paired with four auditory interfering words (related verb, related noun, unrelated verb, and unrelated noun) were presented to the children in a silent condition to determine their naming accuracy and latency. The DMDX software calculated the naming latency. The percentage of correct names also calculated naming accuracy.
Results: Naming latencies were significantly faster in children without language disorders (P≤0.05). In addition, a reliable interference effect was found. According to the results, naming latencies were significantly faster for related verb distractors than unrelated verbs and related noun distractors (P<0.05). In addition, a significant difference was observed between the silent and interference conditions regarding the naming accuracy. However, accuracy was not affected by distractors.
Discussion: Different semantic contexts affect lexical access differently in children. These differences cause semantic relatedness between verbs and nouns in lexical networks. The present study findings indicate that lexical knowledge and semantic relatedness are lower in children with developmental language disorders than in those with typical language development. These results can be useful for future studies and interventions on lexical access in children with and without language disorders.
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• Lexical access is slower, with less accuracy in children with developmental language disorders than in peers.
• Different semantic contexts affected lexical access in children with and without developmental language disorders.
• Children’s lexical knowledge and the type of semantic relatedness of words within the linguistic context could be affected by the level of interference in lexical access.
Plain Language Summary
Developmental language disorders (DLDs) result in significant and often lifelong problems in children. Lexical access and word-finding difficulties are common issues in children with DLD. The studies of naming skills in children with DLD in different languages indicate significantly slower and less accurate naming processes. In the present study, we revealed that different semantic interference could affect the accuracy and latency of lexical access in children with and without DLD. So, researchers and clinicians should be aware of semantic interference in their work with children and provide the appropriate context for tools or tasks according to the child’s semantic knowledge. In the Persian language, it is useful to give some tools for various complex degrees of semantic relatedness. Difficulties in semantic relatedness also suggest that future investigations may identify areas of strengths and weakness in children with DLD in lexical access. Indeed, clinicians should use the naming latency in children’s responses to determine the progress of lexical access intervention.
Article type:
Original Research Articles |
Subject:
Speech therapy Received: 2022/05/24 | Accepted: 2022/09/26 | Published: 2023/03/1
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