Naming Task Research Articles

A process-oriented analysis of speech and silent intervals in responses to serial naming tasks.

A process-oriented analysis of speech and silent intervals in responses to serial naming tasks.

Vocabulary Acquisition in Beginner L2 Learners

This project focuses on how different vocabulary teaching methods may develop efficient lexical-semantic networks in L2 learners. Vocabulary that frequently co-occurs in the environment becomes associated in the lexicon (e.g., food + sports) and it strengthens the representation of vocabulary. This experiment tests the effect of co-occurrence presentation and thematic list presentation on vocabulary processing. The goal is to inform vocabulary teaching methods. L2 learners completed a pre-test, four sessions of vocabulary training, and an immediate post-test. During training sessions, participants saw images on a computer and reviewed Spanish vocabulary, under one of two conditions: one word presented at a time in thematic lists (e.g., food), or words displayed in a visual scene or context (e.g., dinner party). During testing, participants completed a picture naming task to assess how different types of vocabulary exposure impacts L2 processing. Other individual differences such as working memory and proficiency were collected as well. The results from the picture naming task show that effectiveness of training in thematic list (TL) verse visual scene (VS) depended on initial proficiency and working memory. Participants with a higher initial proficiency and working memory improved more when trained with the VS condition, while those with lower proficiency and working memory had greater success when trained via the TL condition.

Mapping the basal temporal language network: a SEEG functional connectivity study

The Basal Temporal Language Area (BTLA) is recognized in epilepsy surgery setting when cortical electrical stimulation (CES) of the ventral temporal cortex (VTC) trigger anomia or paraphasia during naming tasks. Despite acknowledging a ventral language stream, current cognitive language models fail to properly integrate this entity. In this SEEG study we used cortico-cortical evoked potentials in nine epileptic patients to assess and compare the effective connectivity of 73 sites in the left VTC of which 26 were deemed eloquent for naming after CES (BTLA). Eloquent sites connectivity supports the existence of a basal temporal language network (BTLN) structured around posterior projectors while the fusiform gyrus behaved as an integrator. BTLN was strongly connected to the amygdala and hippocampus unlike the non-eloquent sites, except for the anterior fusiform gyrus (FG). These observations support the FG as a multimodal functional hub and add to our understanding of ventral temporal language processing.

The Impact of Lexical-semantic Impairment on Spoken Verb Production in Individuals With Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Although episodic memory is the primary concern in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), other cognitive functions may also be affected, including language. Language impairment in individuals with MCI has been attributed primarily to the breakdown of semantic representations, difficulties in accessing semantic information, and the weakening of executive functions. However, in most prior studies of word processing in individuals with MCI, researchers have used measures focused on noun production. To investigate how verb production tasks might aid in detecting cognitive impairment in individuals with MCI. We compared the performance of 45 individuals with MCI and 45 healthy controls on action naming and action fluency tasks. In the action naming task, the performance of participants with MCI was significantly impaired compared to healthy controls in terms of total score, the number of semantic errors produced, and the use of generic terms. In the action fluency task, participants with MCI produced significantly fewer verbs, fewer clusters, and fewer switches than healthy controls. The results of our study emphasize the utility of verb production tasks in the identification of cognitive impairment in individuals with MCI and provide evidence of the importance of including action naming and action fluency tasks in the assessment of individuals with MCI.

Lexical retrieval difficulties in post-COVID-19 syndrome: Insights from verbal fluency and naming tasks.

Although considerable research has been conducted on post-COVID-19 syndrome (PCS), cognitive symptoms, particularly those related to language, are still not well understood. To provide a detailed quantitative and qualitative analysis of language performance in PCS patients using a comprehensive set of semantic and verbal production tasks. The study involved 195 PCS patients aged 26-64 years and 50 healthy controls aged 25-61 years. Participants were assessed using two semantic tasks, three naming tasks and four types of verbal fluency tasks, designed to evaluate different aspects of language processing. PCS patients demonstrated significantly poorer performance compared with controls across all verbal fluency tasks. This was evident in both the total number of words generated and their types, with patients tending to choose more easily accessible words. In naming tasks, the pattern of errors was similar in both groups, although patients showed a higher number of non-responses and made more errors, reflecting difficulties in word retrieval. The analysis highlighted the impact of factors such as stimulus availability, educational level and cognitive reserve on performance. Notably, younger patients performed worse than older, a paradoxical trend also observed in previous research. These findings reveal significant word retrieval difficulties in PCS patients, suggesting that cognitive impairment related to language may be more pronounced than previously understood. The results underscore the need for a thorough evaluation of language functions in PCS patients and the development of more targeted and individualized language rehabilitation strategies to address these specific challenges. What is already known on the subject Studies on the cognitive characteristics of CPS have focused mainly on broad-spectrum neuropsychological assessments covering all cognitive functions. However, there are very few studies analysing oral production with specific lexical and semantic system tasks. Furthermore, no work has specifically included tasks assessing semantic processing or conducted qualitative analyses of the psycholinguistic variables affecting performance. Such analyses could undoubtedly help clarify the nature of the language impairments in patients with PCS. What this paper adds to the existing knowledge This study explores in depth the evaluation and analysis of the oral production of patients with PCS using several lexical and semantic tasks. In addition, psycholinguistic variables are analysed that could undoubtedly help clarify the nature of the language impairments in patients with PCS. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? The study allows the identification of specific lexical-semantic deficits in the spoken language in patients with this PCS. A more detailed assessment of the oral language of these patients, keeping in mind the psycholinguistic variables that may affect the performance, will facilitate the design of more efficient and individualized rehabilitation programmes.

Perceptual and semantic deficits in face recognition in semantic dementia

State of the artSemantic dementia (SD) patients including semantic variant primary progressive aphasia (svPPA) and semantic behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (sbvFTD) patients show semantic difficulties identifying faces and known people related to right anterior temporal lobe (ATL) atrophy. However, it remains unclear whether they also have perceptual deficits in face recognition. MethodologyWe selected 74 SD patients (54 with svPPA and predominant left ATL atrophy and 20 with sbvFTD and predominant right ATL atrophy) and 36 cognitively healthy controls (HC) from UCSF Memory and Aging Center. They underwent a perceptual face processing test (Benton facial recognition test-short version; BFRT-S), and semantic face processing tests (UCSF Famous people battery – Recognition, Naming, Semantic associations – pictures and words subtests), as well as structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Neural correlates with the task’s performance were conducted with a Voxel-based morphometry approach using CAT12. ResultssvPPA and sbvFTD patients were impaired on all semantic face processing tests, with sbvFTD patients performing significantly lower on the famous faces’ recognition task in comparison to svPPA, and svPPA performing significantly lower on the naming task in comparison to sbvFTD. These tasks predominantly correlated with gray matter (GM) volumes in the right and left ATL, respectively. Compared to HC, both svPPA and sbvFTD patients showed preserved performance on the perceptual face processing test (BFRT-S), and performance on the BFRT-S negatively correlated with GM volume in the right posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS). ConclusionOur results suggest that early in the disease, with the atrophy mostly restricted to the anterior temporal regions, SD patients do not present with perceptual deficits. However, more severe SD cases with atrophy in right posterior temporal regions might show lower performance on face perception tests, in addition to the semantic face processing deficits. Early sparing of face perceptual deficits in SD patients, regardless of hemispheric lateralization, furthers our understanding of clinical phenomenology and therapeutical approaches of this complex disease.

High variability phonetic training facilitates perception-to-production transfer in Mandarin-speaking children with cochlear implants: An acoustic investigation.

This study primarily aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of high variability phonetic training (HVPT) for children with cochlear implants (CIs) via the cross-modal transfer of perceptual learning to lexical tone production, a scope that has been largely neglected by previous training research. Sixteen CI participants received a five-session HVPT within a period of three weeks, whereas another 16 CI children were recruited without receiving any formal training. Lexical tone production was assessed with a picture naming task before the provision (pretest) and immediately after (posttest) and ten weeks after (follow-up test) the completion of the training protocol. The production samples were coded and analyzed acoustically. Despite considerable distinctions from the typical baselines of normal-hearing peers, the trained CI children exhibited significant improvements in Mandarin tone production from pretest to posttest in pitch height of T1, pitch slope of T2, and pitch curvature of T3. Moreover, the training-induced acoustic changes in the concave characteristic of the T3 contour was retained ten weeks after training termination. This study represents an initial acoustic investigation on HVPT-induced benefits in lexical tone production for the pediatric CI population, which provides valuable insights into applying this perceptual training technique as a viable tool in clinical practices.

A Rose by Any Other Name: Mapping Taxonomic and Thematic Naming Errors Poststroke.

Understanding the neurobiology of semantic knowledge is a major goal of cognitive neuroscience. Taxonomic and thematic semantic knowledge are represented differently within the brain's conceptual networks, but the specific neural mechanisms remain unclear. Some neurobiological models propose that the anterior temporal lobe is an important hub for taxonomic knowledge, whereas the TPJ is especially involved in the representation of thematic knowledge. However, recent studies have provided divergent evidence. In this context, we investigated the neural correlates of taxonomic and thematic confrontation naming errors in 79 people with aphasia. We used three complementary lesion-symptom mapping (LSM) methods to investigate how structure and function in both spared and impaired brain regions relate to taxonomic and thematic naming errors. Voxel-based LSM mapped brain damage, activation-based LSM mapped BOLD signal in surviving tissue, and network-based LSM mapped white matter subnetwork integrity to error type. Voxel- and network-based lesion symptom mapping provided converging evidence that damage/disruption of the left mid-to-anterior temporal lobe was associated with a greater proportion of thematic naming errors. Activation-based lesion symptom mapping revealed that higher BOLD signal in the left anterior temporal lobe during an in-house naming task was associated with a greater proportion of taxonomic errors on the Philadelphia Naming Test administered outside of the scanner. A lower BOLD signal in the bilateral angular gyrus, precuneus, and right inferior frontal cortex was associated with a greater proportion of taxonomic errors. These findings provide novel evidence that damage to the anterior temporal lobe is especially related to thematic naming errors.

Unusual patterns of codeswitching in an unbalanced bilingual person with aphasia: effects of language and executive functions impairment

ABSTRACT Background Bilingual individuals with aphasia may exhibit unique patterns of language impairment and recovery. While code-switching (CS) is a common feature of bilingual speech, pathological CS following brain damage can provide insights into the neural mechanisms controlling bilingual language processing. Aims This study aimed to examine language impairment and recovery patterns in IZ, an unbalanced Hebrew-English bilingual with non-fluent aphasia, focusing on the unusual CS behavior observed during his subacute phase of recovery. Methods and procedures IZ underwent language and narrative assessments in both languages during the subacute and chronic phases of recovery. Ten cognitive tests were administered to assess various domains of cognitive function. Language performance was evaluated through naming and syntactic processing tasks in L1-Hebrew and L2-English. The frequency and type of CS were analyzed using the matrix language frame model. Outcomes and results During the subacute phase, IZ displayed significant language deficits in both L1-Hebrew and L2-English, with more severe impairment in L1-Hebrew naming and L2-English syntactic processing. He exhibited frequent involuntary CS, primarily using L1-Hebrew as the matrix language while embedding L2-English content words. Cognitive testing revealed reduced performance across multiple domains. In the chronic phase, IZ showed parallel improvements in both languages, particularly in L1-Hebrew naming and L2-English syntactic processing, along with a marked reduction in CS frequency. Conclusions IZ’s case demonstrates a double dissociation between lexical and syntactic processing across L1 and L2. The results suggest that matrix language selection in bilinguals may be governed by distinct neural mechanisms for each language, with specific brain regions responsible for activating lexical representations. Damage to these regions may lead to pathological CS, as observed in this case. This study underscores the importance of understanding bilingual language control mechanisms in aphasia rehabilitation.

Dynamic functional connectivity in verbal cognitive control and word reading

Cognitive control processes enable the suppression of automatic behaviors and the initiation of appropriate responses. The Stroop color naming task serves as a benchmark paradigm for understanding the neurobiological model of verbal cognitive control. Previous research indicates a predominant engagement of the prefrontal and premotor cortex during the Stroop task compared to reading. We aim to further this understanding by creating a dynamic atlas of task-preferential modulations of functional connectivity through white matter. Patients undertook word-reading and Stroop tasks during intracranial EEG recording. We quantified task-related high-gamma amplitude modulations at 547 nonepileptic electrode sites, and a mixed model analysis identified regions and timeframes where these amplitudes differed between tasks. We then visualized white matter pathways with task-preferential functional connectivity enhancements at given moments. Word reading, compared to the Stroop task, exhibited enhanced functional connectivity in inter- and intra-hemispheric white matter pathways from the left occipital-temporal region 350–600 ms before response, including the posterior callosal fibers as well as the left vertical occipital, inferior longitudinal, inferior fronto-occipital, and arcuate fasciculi. The Stroop task showed enhanced functional connectivity in the pathways from the left middle-frontal pre-central gyri, involving the left frontal u-fibers and anterior callosal fibers. Automatic word reading largely utilizes the left occipital-temporal cortices and associated white matter tracts. Verbal cognitive control predominantly involves the left middle frontal and precentral gyri and its connected pathways. Our dynamic tractography atlases may serve as a novel resource providing insights into the unique neural dynamics and pathways of automatic reading and verbal cognitive control.

Frequency and Universal Principles in the Acquisition of Word-Initial Consonant Clusters in Palestinian Arabic.

In this article, we present the results of our study on the acquisition of word-initial consonant clusters in Palestinian Arabic. The remarkable property of word-initial clusters in Palestinian Arabic is that they often violate the Sonority Sequencing Principle, a universal constraint that disfavors sonority fall (e.g., lba:n "gum") and, to a lesser degree, sonority plateau (e.g., kta:b "book"). Given the violation of the Sonority Sequencing Principle, the acquisition of word-initial consonant clusters serves as a fruitful ground for studying the interaction of universal principles and language-specific effects. The goal of the study was to shed light on the role of universal principles in language acquisition and how they interact with frequency. We carried out picture naming and sentence completion tasks with 60 monolingual and monodialectal children aged 2;00-5;00 (years;months), equally divided into six age groups. In addition, we built a small corpus of child-directed speech (CDS) to evaluate the distribution of the three sonority profiles of word-initial consonant clusters-rise, plateau, and fall. We found a major language-specific effect in the cluster simplification strategies, with prothesis being the most common strategy (e.g., lbá:n → ilbá:n "gum"). However, this effect was not found in the youngest group (2;00-2;05), where the cross-linguistically favorite strategy of C-deletion was most common (e.g., lbá:n → bá:n "gum"). We also found a major effect of the Sonority Sequencing Principle in the children's productions, contrary to insignificant differences in CDS. Our study supports the claim that language acquisition is affected by both language-specific effects and universal principles. As for the interaction of these factors, we show that the effect of universal principles emerges under two conditions: (a) in early speech (youngest age group), before children accumulate sufficient data that allow language-specific properties to override, and/or (b) when frequency does not play a role.

HeLP: The Hebrew Lexicon project

AbstractLexicon projects (LPs) are large-scale data resources in different languages that present behavioral results from visual word recognition tasks. Analyses using LP data in multiple languages provide evidence regarding cross-linguistic differences as well as similarities in visual word recognition. Here we present the first LP in a Semitic language—the Hebrew Lexicon Project (HeLP). HeLP assembled lexical decision (LD) responses to 10,000 Hebrew words and nonwords, and naming responses to a subset of 5000 Hebrew words. We used the large-scale HeLP data to estimate the impact of general predictors (lexicality, frequency, word length, orthographic neighborhood density), and Hebrew-specific predictors (Semitic structure, presence of clitics, phonological entropy) of visual word recognition performance. Our results revealed the typical effects of lexicality and frequency obtained in many languages, but more complex impact of word length and neighborhood density. Considering Hebrew-specific characteristics, HeLP data revealed better recognition of words with a Semitic structure than words that do not conform to it, and a drop in performance for words comprising clitics. These effects varied, however, across LD and naming tasks. Lastly, a significant inhibitory effect of phonological ambiguity was found in both naming and LD. The implications of these findings for understanding reading in a Semitic language are discussed.

Investigating Noun and Verb Naming in Behavioral Variant of Frontotemporal Dementia and Non-Patients Persian-Speaking

Introduction: Due to the prevalence of cognitive disorders, such as the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) and the consequences that these disorders follow, early diagnosis and awareness of the deficiencies of these people in the cognitive and language areas is essential. Given that language is dependent on culture, examining the linguistic characteristics of such patients in different languages can provide valuable findings. Therefore, this study compares noun and verb naming abilities in individuals with bvFTD and non-patients Persian-speaking. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 3 cognitive tests, including frontal assessment battery (FAB), Montreal cognitive assessment, and mini-mental state examination (MMSE), along with 2 noun naming and verb naming tests were performed on 15 patients with bvFTD and 30 homogeneous non-patient individuals. Results: The bvFTD group had significantly different scores for both noun and verb naming compared to the non-patient group (P<0.05). Meanwhile, the bvFTD group was more impaired in naming verbs than nouns, with the largest difference between groups in the verb naming task. Conclusion: the results showed that bvFTD patients have poorer noun and verb naming abilities than non-patients. In particular, in verb naming, they showed more deficits than nouns. One possible explanation is that the processing of verbs is more complicated than nouns and involves a more complex neural system and cognitive processes than noun processing. Another possibility is that verbs rely more heavily on frontal and temporal regions of the brain, which are typically affected by bvFTD.

Functional MRI Assessment of Brain Activity Patterns Associated with Reading in Medulloblastoma Survivors.

Medulloblastoma, a malignant brain tumor primarily affecting children, poses significant challenges to patients and clinicians due to its complex treatment and potential long-term cognitive consequences. While recent advancements in treatment have significantly improved survival rates, survivors often face cognitive impairments, particularly in reading, impacting their quality of life. According to the double deficit theory, reading impairments are caused by deficits in one or both of two independent reading-related functions: phonological awareness and rapid visual naming. This longitudinal study investigates neurofunctional changes related to reading in medulloblastoma survivors in comparison to controls using functional MRI acquired during rapid automatized naming tasks over three annual visits. Support vector machine classification of functional MRI data reveals a progressive divergence in brain activity patterns between medulloblastoma survivors and healthy controls over time, suggesting delayed effects of cancer treatment on brain function. Alterations in brain regions involved in visual processing and orthographic recognition during rapid naming tasks imply disruptions in the ventral visual pathway associated with normal orthographic processing. These alterations are correlated with performance in tasks involving sound awareness, reading fluency, and word attack. These findings underscore the dynamic nature of post-treatment neurofunctional alterations and the importance of early identification and intervention to address cognitive deficits in survivors.

Brain topology underlying executive functions across the lifespan: focus on the default mode network.

While traditional neuroimaging approaches to the study of executive functions (EFs) have typically employed task-evoked paradigms, resting state studies are gaining popularity as a tool for investigating inter-individual variability in the functional connectome and its relationship to cognitive performance outside of the scanner. Using resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging data from the Human Connectome Project Lifespan database, the present study capitalized on graph theory to chart cross-sectional variations in the intrinsic functional organization of the frontoparietal (FPN) and the default mode (DMN) networks in 500 healthy individuals (from 10 to 100 years of age), to investigate the neural underpinnings of EFs across the lifespan. Topological properties of both the FPN and DMN were associated with EF performance but not with a control task of picture naming, providing specificity in support for a tight link between neuro-functional and cognitive-behavioral efficiency within the EF domain. The topological organization of the DMN, however, appeared more sensitive to age-related changes relative to that of the FPN. The DMN matures earlier in life than the FPN and it ıs more susceptible to neurodegenerative changes. Because its activity is stronger in conditions of resting state, the DMN might be easier to measure in noncompliant populations and in those at the extremes of the life-span curve, namely very young or elder participants. Here, we argue that the study of its functional architecture in relation to higher order cognition across the lifespan might, thus, be of greater interest compared with what has been traditionally thought.

High-gamma modulation language mapping and cognitive outcomes after epilepsy surgery.

We evaluated changes in cognitive domains after neurosurgical lesioning of cortical sites with significant high-gamma power modulations (HGM) during a visual naming task, although these sites were found language-negative on standard-of-care electrical stimulation mapping (ESM). In drug-resistant epilepsy patients who underwent resection/ablation after stereo-electroencephalography (SEEG), we computed reliable change indices (RCIs) from a battery of presurgical and 1-year postsurgical neuropsychological assessments. We modeled RCIs as a function of lesioning even one HGM language site, number of HGM language sites lesioned, and the magnitude of naming-related HGM. The analyses were adjusted for 1-year seizure freedom, operated hemispheres, and the volumes of surgical lesions. In 37 patients with 4455 SEEG electrode contacts (1839 and 2616 contacts in right and left hemispheres, respectively), no ESM language sites were lesioned. Patients with lesioning of even one HGM language site showed significantly lower RCIs for Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT), working memory, and verbal learning immediate (VLI) scores. RCI declines with higher number of HGM language sites lesioned were seen in PPVT (slope [β] = -.10), working memory (β = -.10), VLI (β = -.14), and letter-word identification (LWI; β = -.14). No neuropsychological domains improved after lesioning of HGM language sites. Significant effects of the HGM magnitude at lesioned sites were seen on working memory (β = -.31), story memory immediate (β = -.27), verbal learning recognition (β = -.18), LWI (β = -.16), spelling (β = -.49), and passage comprehension (β = -.33). Because working memory was significantly affected in all three analyses, patients with maximal working memory decline were examined post hoc, revealing that all such patients had HGM naming sites lesioned in the posterior quadrants of either hemisphere. HGM language mapping should be used as an adjunct to ESM in clinical practice and may help counsel patients/families about postsurgical cognitive deficits.

Intrahemispheric White Matter Asymmetries and Interhemispheric Connections Underlying the Lateralization of Language Production and Spatial Attention in Left-Handers

ABSTRACT Leftward language production and rightward spatial attention are salient features of functional organization in most humans, but their anatomical basis remains unclear. Interhemispheric connections and intrahemispheric white matter asymmetries have been proposed as important factors underlying functional lateralization. To investigate the role of white matter connectivity in functional lateralization, we first identified 96 left-handers using visual half field naming tasks. They were then divided into atypical and typical functional dominance based on the lateralization of brain activation in a word generation task (for language production) and a landmark task (for spatial attention). Using a novel fixel-based framework, we obtained fiber-specific properties of white matter pathways. Results showed, first, that differences between two language dominance groups occurred in the asymmetry of the superior longitudinal fasciculus-III (SLF-III), whereas differences between two spatial attention dominance groups occurred in the rostrum and rostral body of the corpus callosum. However, the directions of functional lateralization were not associated with the directions of white matter asymmetries. Second, the degree of language lateralization was predicted by SLF-III asymmetry and the rostral body of the corpus callosum, whereas the degree of spatial attention lateralization was predicted by the rostrum of the corpus callosum. Notably, the degree of each functional lateralization was positively correlated with the anterior and middle callosal connections, supporting the excitatory model of the corpus callosum. The results suggest that language lateralization is shaped by a combined effect of intra- and interhemispheric connections, whereas spatial attention lateralization relies more on interhemispheric connections.

Parental report of vocabulary in 3- to 6-year-old Polish children: Reliable but not valid.

For over 30 years, parental reports have been used to study the vocabulary of children under 4 years of age. Research exploring parental checklists as a measure of vocabulary in older children is very limited. Typically, authors of parental checklists report the reliability of the developed tools but do not explore validity in terms of the agreement between parental assessments and the children's actual word knowledge. We aimed to explore the reliability and validity of a parental checklist for assessing vocabulary in children aged between 3 and 6 years. Furthermore, we aimed to evaluate the agreement between indirect (parental checklist) and direct (picture naming and picture recognition tasks) assessments of children's vocabulary. A group of 94 typically developing monolingual Polish-speaking children aged between 3 and 6 years were first directly tested onsite with picture naming and picture recognition tasks (Cross-Linguistic Lexical Tasks). Subsequently, the participants' parents completed an online checklist containing the same set of 128 items and marked all the words that they had ever heard in their child's spontaneous speech. The parental checklist demonstrated very high internal consistency. The scores of the parental checklist and vocabulary tasks were moderately correlated. We compared the total number of words marked by parents and the number of items correctly identified by children in the picture naming and picture recognition tasks. In picture naming, we found no difference between the children's scores and the number of words selected by parents. However, parents selected significantly fewer words than children correctly recognised in the picture recognition task. When data were analysed at the level of individual items (i.e., whether parents selected exactly the same items that children answered correctly), we found that the level of agreement was low. The level of agreement correlated negatively with the children's vocabulary; that is, the more words a child knew, the lower the agreement between the direct measure and the parental checklist. Parental checklists should be used with caution in children aged between 3 and 6 years, especially if the assessed children have a large vocabulary and if item analysis is planned. Such checklists may be of more use in younger children or in children with limited vocabulary. What is already known on the subject Parental checklists are commonly used to assess the vocabulary of children younger than 4 years of age. Previous research has indicated that parental checklists are reliable in terms of internal consistency and valid in terms of predictive and convergent validity. What this paper adds to the existing knowledge This study introduces a parental checklist designed for assessing the vocabulary of monolingual Polish-speaking children aged between 3 and 6 years. Statistical analyses reveal that while the parental checklist exhibits high reliability, and the scores on the checklist correlate with direct measures of vocabulary, the agreement between parental reports and direct vocabulary measures (i.e., validity) is notably low, particularly when examining individual test items. What are the clinical implications of this work? These findings underscore the importance of exercising caution when using parental vocabulary checklists with children aged between 3 and 6 years. These checklists can serve as a replacement for direct vocabulary tests only when the general/overall score is needed. However, when specific words are the subject of interest, parental reports may not be a valid measure.

Language in people with cervical dystonia: Evidence of grammatical and specific semantic deficits

BackgroundAlthough historically considered a motor disorder, cervical dystonia (CD) may present with subtle cognitive impairments. Basal ganglia dysfunction in other neurological conditions can lead to language impairments. Language in people with CD (pwCD) remains unexplored. ObjectivesThe study aimed to explore phonological, grammatical, and semantic language abilities in pwCD compared to healthy controls. Methods19 pwCD and 20 control participants completed the Object and Colour subtests of the Rapid Automized Naming Task (RAN), the Test for Reception of Grammar-2 (TROG-2), and a lexical decision task with a masked priming paradigm that compared reaction times to words varying according to two factors-hand relatedness (hand-related, non-hand-related) and word category (verb, noun). ResultsCompared to controls, pwCD were less accurate at grammatical comprehension on the TROG-2 (p < 0.05, n2 = 0.15). There were no significant differences between pwCD and controls in phonological retrieval, as measured by the RAN. PwCD demonstrated an overall reduced priming effect for all words, however, there is some evidence in our data that this may be more pronounced for hand-related words. ConclusionLanguage deficits should be considered an area of future research in pwCD. These findings support the role of the motor system in language.

Contributions of Speaking, Listening, and Semantic Depth to Word Learning in Typical 3- and 4-Year-Olds.

This study examined learning via perception, learning via production, and semantic depth as contributors to word learning in preschool-aged children. There is broad evidence that semantic depth is an important contributor to word learning, especially when semantic cues are repeated and spaced out over time. Perceptual learning and production learning each support word learning sometimes, but not in all cases. The purpose of this study was to examine all three learning mechanisms within a single experimental paradigm. Thirty-six typically developing preschool children completed the experiment. They were familiarized with 16 novel words that were contextualized as alien names. These aliens came in four sets, each set comprising one base alien and three modified aliens marked by suffixes. Children completed four familiarizations: two in which they simply listened to the alien names (perceptual learning) and two where they repeated the alien names (production learning). Those conditions were crossed with a semantic depth manipulation (aliens with and without verbal semantic cues). Following each familiarization, referent identification and confrontation naming tasks were completed to assess learning. Children were able to identify more alien referents following familiarizations with semantic depth. There were no significant effects of either perceptual learning or production learning. This study confirms and expands on the benefits of semantic depth, but the results are unclear about the relative importance of perception and production to word learning. Nevertheless, the study suggests benefits to simultaneously studying multiple factors related to word learning.