Creating an SLI performance profile with load

The purpose of this body of work was to gain a clearer understanding of the potential cognitive factors that may contribute to Specific Language Impairment (SLI). This study attempted to simulate a performance profile of SLI in typically developing children within a grammaticality judgment task, featuring structures historically difficult (third person singular –S and auxiliary BE) and easy (plural –S and progressive –ING) for individuals with SLI. Cognitive load was manipulated through the length of the sentences to be judged, and individual differences in phonological short term memory (PSTM) and working memory were measured (WM). For a successful simulation to occur, problematic structures should display lower performance than easier structures, particularly for longer sentences, even after taking into consideration individual differences in cognitive abilities. A successful simulation was not achieved as lengthening failed to polarize performance between the historically easier structures and historically difficult structures in the systematic way predicted, even after accounting for differences in working memory ability.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology

Grantor

Psychology

Year dc:date.available

2013

Author dc:creator

• Seidel, Christy Marie

• Specific Language Impairment
• SLI
• length
• plurals
• plural -S
• progressives
• progressive -ING
• third person singular -S
• BE
• auxiliary BE
• verbal -S
• simulation
• working memory
• grammaticality judgment

Statement dc:rights

• unrestricted
• Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.

Identifier

etd-11182013-133340
https://repository.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/1043

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repository.lsu.edu:gradschool_dissertations-2042