FACTORS UNDERLYING SENTENCE INTERPRETATION IN YOUNG CHILDREN: WORD ORDER, REAL WORLD KNOWLEDGE AND LINGUISTIC STRUCTURE (CANADA).
Item
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Title
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FACTORS UNDERLYING SENTENCE INTERPRETATION IN YOUNG CHILDREN: WORD ORDER, REAL WORLD KNOWLEDGE AND LINGUISTIC STRUCTURE (CANADA).
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Identifier
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AAI8629744
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identifier
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8629744
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Creator
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STANTON, ANN MARY.
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Contributor
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Helen Smith Cairns
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Date
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1986
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Language, Linguistics
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Abstract
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This study evaluated the process of early acquisition of comprehension of syntactic structure and the interaction of factors of probability, real world knowledge and linguistic structure. Competing theories of strategy use were evaluated, with particular reference to prior age-based group data, and established patterns of development. Results from previous studies implied that individual children perform according to age-group norms. This study investigated whether strategy use is reflective of consistent individual patterns or mixed responses by making both individual and group analyses. A population of fifty-six children aged 3 to 6 years was assessed on an acting-out comprehension task and a related metalinguistic judgement task. The study was replicated after a six-month interval to evaluate development in comprehension over time. The factor of Animacy was controlled for while manipulating factors of probability and linguistic complexity. The stimuli used were Simple Active Declarative, Passive and Inverted Cleft Sentences that were either Probable, Improbable or Neutral with respect to probability, allowing a measure of structural knowledge with and without interaction with Probability. It was hypothesized that Probability would exercise a greater effect in younger children with use of the Probable Event Strategy predominating in their responses. Older children were expected to show high levels of usage of the Word Order Strategy before developing adult comprehension based on linguistic rules. Results indicated differential effects of Probability continuing throughout the age range tested, and much lower usage of the Word Order Strategy than anticipated. Age-based analysis did not succinctly characterize the results. Grouping based on individual response using developmental parameters for each sentence type provided concise analysis and enabled profiles to be established and measured across time. Strategy use was not found to be transferred across sentence types. The Word Order Strategy was used as three distinct levels of development. The acquisition of adult responses on Passive and Inverted Cleft was found to be a fixed state, indicating the absolute nature of linguistic rules versus cognitive strategies. Metalinguistic judgements based on probability were strongly related to Comprehension levels of the same structure indicating the similarity of processing in both areas.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Speech and Hearing Sciences
