aUniversity of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Center for Language and Communication.
J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2012 Jun;55(3):683-94. doi: 10.1044/1092-4388(2011/10-0263). Epub 2012 Jan 5.
This study investigates the relative contributions of phonological short-term memory and phonological representations to nonword repetition (NWR). This was evaluated in children with specific language impairment (SLI) and/or reading impairment (RI); it was also studied from a developmental perspective by comparing 2 groups of typically developing (TD) children who differed in age.
NWR, digit span, vocabulary, and word and nonword discrimination were tested in 2 groups of TD children: one group matched on chronological age (CA TD group: n = 41, mean age = 7;8 [months;years]), and one language age-matched control group (LA TD group: n = 16, mean age = 5;8). Also, 10 children with SLI, 14 children with RI, and 23 children with SLI and RI (hereafter, SLI + RI) participated and were matched to the age of the CA TD group.
For the TD children, NWR was predicted by discrimination, digit span, and age. The interaction between discrimination ability and age was also significant. Children with SLI + RI were significantly impaired on NWR compared with all other groups. A regression analysis, including the CA TD group and the children with SLI and/or RI, showed that digit span, discrimination ability, and group (SLI + RI) contributed significantly to NWR.
Phonological short-term memory and phonological representations both significantly contribute to NWR. The predictive strength of the quality of phonological representations changes during development.
本研究考察了语音短时记忆和语音表征对非词重复（NWR）的相对贡献。通过比较两组在年龄上存在差异的发育正常（TD）儿童，从发展的角度研究了特定语言障碍（SLI）和/或阅读障碍（RI）儿童的情况。
对两组 TD 儿童进行 NWR、数字跨度、词汇、单词和非单词辨别测试：一组按年龄匹配（CA TD 组：n=41，平均年龄=7；8[月；年]），另一组语言年龄匹配对照组（LA TD 组：n=16，平均年龄=5；8）。此外，10 名 SLI 儿童、14 名 RI 儿童和 23 名 SLI + RI 儿童（以下简称 SLI + RI）参与了研究，并与 CA TD 组的年龄相匹配。
对于 TD 儿童，NWR 可由辨别力、数字跨度和年龄预测。辨别力和年龄之间的相互作用也很重要。与所有其他组相比，SLI + RI 儿童在 NWR 方面明显受损。包括 CA TD 组和 SLI 和/或 RI 儿童在内的回归分析表明，数字跨度、辨别能力和组（SLI + RI）对 NWR 有显著贡献。
语音短时记忆和语音表征都对 NWR 有显著贡献。语音表征质量的预测强度在发育过程中发生变化。
