The mediation of child-directed speech effects through processing efficiency holds after controlling for knowledge of the target words and excluding at-chance performers¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · associational r2 · q3 · i3 large
Currency · newest study 2013 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i3 After removing trials with words parents reported the child did not understand, the mediation pattern remained (CDS-efficiency r = 0.40; efficiency-vocabulary r = 0.53; path reduced from 12.61 to 8.75). → Weisleder Adriana 2013 q3 i3 In the subsample of 22 children with mean accuracy above .50 at 19 months, correlations were stronger (r = 0.58 and r = 0.62) and mediation again held (path reduced from 15.61 to 8.86). → Weisleder Adriana 2013 (2)

Evidence¶

Weisleder Adriana 2013¶

Weisleder Adriana, Fernald Anne. (2013). Talking to children matters: Early language experience strengthens processing and builds vocabulary. Psychological Science. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797613488145

q3 · i? · associational · r2

Control analysis addressing whether processing differences merely reflect target-word knowledge: parents reported whether children understood each target word (66% of children understood all words at 19 months, 72% at 24 months), non-understood trials were removed, and the mediation model was re-run with the same pattern of results.

"the parameter estimate for the effect of CDS on vocabulary was significantly reduced from 12.61 to 8.75 when processing efficiency was included in the model"

Weisleder Adriana 2013 (2)¶

Weisleder Adriana, Fernald Anne. (2013). Talking to children matters: Early language experience strengthens processing and builds vocabulary. Psychological Science. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797613488145

q3 · i3 · associational · r2

Final analysis including only children whose mean accuracy exceeded .50 at 19 months (n = 22), excluding at-or-below-chance performers. Mediation again held, with the CDS-to-vocabulary path "significantly reduced from 15.61 to 8.86" when processing efficiency was included.

"This analysis revealed even stronger correlations between child-directed speech and processing efficiency (r = 0.58, p < 0.01), and between processing efficiency and later vocabulary (r = 0.62, p < 0.01)"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Child-directed speech predicts real-time language-processing efficiency at 19 and 24 months and explains gains in efficiency — related
• Processing efficiency at 19 months mediates the relation between child-directed speech and 24-month vocabulary — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)
• Overheard adult speech is unrelated to 24-month vocabulary, unlike child-directed speech — 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
• Amount of child-directed speech at 19 months predicts expressive vocabulary size at 24 months in low-SES Spanish-learning infants — related