Faster word recognition at 24 months is associated with larger vocabularies and greater vocabulary gains in Spanish-learning children¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associationalr1·q2
Currency · newest study 2008 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q2 i? Mean RT at 24 months correlated significantly with vocabulary size at 24 months (r(27) = −.55, p < .01) and with vocabulary gains from 18 to 24 months; children grouped by median RT showed faster children knew more words and gained more. → Hurtado Nereyda 2008
Evidence¶
Hurtado Nereyda 2008¶
Hurtado Nereyda, Marchman Virginia A., Fernald Anne. (2008). Does input influence uptake? Links between maternal talk, processing speed and vocabulary size in Spanish-learning children. Developmental Science. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2898277/
q2 · i? · associational · r1
In the same longitudinal sample, children's RT was measured with the looking-while-listening procedure at 24 months and vocabulary via parent report. The article reports "those with faster RTs knew more words at 24 months (M = 270, SD = 153) than did those with slower RTs (M = 141, SD = 100), t(25) = 2.6, p < .01", and faster children also showed larger vocabulary gains (M = 204 vs. M = 106, t(25) = 2.3, p < .05).
"Grouping children by median mean RT, those with faster RTs knew more words at 24 months (M = 270, SD = 153) than did those with slower RTs (M = 141, SD = 100), t(25) = 2.6, p < .01."
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- Children's vocabulary and reaction time improved significantly from 18 to 24 months, and maternal talk measures were highly intercorrelated — related
- Maternal talk quantity at 18 months predicts Spanish-learning children's vocabulary size and vocabulary gains at 24 months, controlling for earlier vocabulary — related
- Faster processing speed predicts greater vocabulary growth only for children with smaller vocabularies at 19 months — related
- Processing speed at 19 months correlates with expressive vocabulary between 18 and 31 months, but processing speed at 25 and 31 months does not — related
- Children of mothers who produced more word tokens at 18 months were faster to recognize familiar words at 24 months — related
- Maternal talk influences on vocabulary and processing speed are largely overlapping, with each mediating the other's relation to input — a broader claim this one bears on
- Children get faster at recognising familiar words in speech between 19 and 31 months of age — related
- Overheard adult speech is unrelated to 24-month vocabulary, unlike child-directed speech — related
- Processing speed at 19 months does not significantly influence linear vocabulary growth between 19 and 30 months — related
- Individual differences in processing speed remain broadly stable between 19 and 31 months — related
- Speed of numeral processing showed a trend predicting fifth grade mathematics achievement, and letter processing speed predicted word reading — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
faster-word-recognition-linked-larger-vocabulary |
title |
Faster word recognition at 24 months is associated with larger vocabularies and greater vocabulary gains in Spanish-learning children |
description |
Faster word recognition at 24 months is associated with larger vocabularies and greater vocabulary gains in Spanish-learning children |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2008 |
source_checked |
2026-10-20 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-17 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — hurtado-nereyda-2008 |
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