Influence of linguistic complexity, rate of presentation, and interphrase pause time on auditory-verbal comprehension of adult aphasic patients

The study investigates and supports the hypothesis that (1) specifically language-impaired (SLI) children have deficits in processing and using the rhythmic-prosodic structure of speech; and that (2) these deficits impede the implicit learning of formal regularities of input language. The ability of SLI children to exploit prosodic cues in rule learning was tested in an experimental design using a miniature language. Twenty-four SLI children (mean age 6;5) learned a small set of sentences generated by a content-free rule system. The sample sentences were presented either with or without prosodic cues to the underlying formal regularities. The experimental groups were matched by various cognitive and language indicators. To assess whether they had acquired some regularities of the miniature language, a grammaticality judgement task was presented. In addition, their ability to reproduce rule-structured and rule-violating strings was tested. The experimental as well as some additional correlational data support the basic theoretical assumptions. The children had deficits in processing and exploiting prosodic cues in rule learning, and these deficits covaried with their rhythmic ability as indicated by a rhythm discrimination task.

Deficits in acquiring language structure: The importance of using prosodic cues

NELSON, NICKOLA W. Comprehension of Spoken Language by Normal Children as a Function of Speaking Rate, Sentence Difficulty, and Listener Age and Sex. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1976, 47, 299-303. Sentence comprehension was measured for 360 normal children between the ages of 5-6 and 9-6 with a picture identification task. 4 matched groups of 8 sentence types representing 2 difficulty levels were presented via tape recordings at 4 electromechanically altered speaking rates. Results indicate that comprehension of spoken language was facilitated by increased age, reduced sentence difficulty, and reduced speaking rate. Interactions of age with sex, age with sentence difficulty, and rate with both difficulty and age also occurred. Possible changes in language processing skills with age are discussed.

Comprehension of Spoken Language by Normal Children as a Function of Speaking Rate, Sentence Difficulty, and Listener Age and Sex.

The purpose of the study was to determine the effect of digitally shortening and lengthening pauses on listening comprehension. Using digital audio software, pauses within the Brown, Carlsen, Carstens (BCC) Listening Comprehension Test were modified to create a control group version (unaltered) and three experimental versions: pauses lengthened by 300 msec; pauses shortened by 150 msec; and, pauses shortened by 300 msec. Effects of these pause length treatments on listening comprehension were measured for each of the five individual BCC sections and for composite scores. Subjects were 144 college students enrolled in undergraduate psychology classes. Means of numbers of incorrect responses were used in analysis of variance and Kruskal-Wallis calculations. Results demonstrated statistical significance for two BCC test sections, Section C (Recognizing Transitions) and Section D (Recognizing Word Meanings). For Section C, lengthening pauses by 300 msec yielded a significant difference between mean numbers of incorrect responses at the .05 level. For Section D, the control group condition (with unaltered original pause lengths) yielded a significant difference between mean numbers of incorrect responses at the .10 level. For certain sections of the test, it was concluded that that presentation rate could be increased (via pause length shortening) without loss of comprehension—in other words, that listening efficiency could be increased. Designated as primary beneficiaries of the research were clients of the National Library Service (the producers of “Talking Books”) and distance learners using audio-enhanced web-based materials. Recommended were further studies involving different pause lengths, subjects and stimulus materials, as well as the development of software that allows users to select from a variety of offered pause lengths.

The Effect of Digitally Shortening and Lengthening Pauses on Listening Comprehension

Three issues that have been identified by language scholars as critical components children’s learning of their first language are (1) auditory segmentation of words in running speech, (2) simplification of language units in the early stages of language learning, and (3) the amount of language input.

Word Segmentation and Intelligibility, Parental Simplification, and Frequency and Amount of Language Input

Sentences recorded with pauses at major phrase boundaries, pauses within major phrase boundaries, and with no pauses were presented to 18 children with a mean age of three years, eight months, and ...

Joseph L. LaBelle

Papers

Sentence comprehension in two age groups of children as related to pause position or the absence of pauses.