Encoding and consolidation during word learning (Gordon et al., 2022)

Purpose: Children with typical development vary in how much experience they need to learn words. This could be due to differences in the amount of information encoded during periods of input, consolidated between periods of input, or both. Our primary purpose is to identify whether encoding, consolidation, or both, drive individual differences in the slow-mapping process. 
Method: Four- to 6-year-old children (N = 43) were trained on nine form-referent pairs across consecutive days. Children’s ability to name referents was assessed at the beginning and end of each session. Word learning was assessed 1 month after training to determine long-term retention.
Results: Children with varying language knowledge and skills differed in their ability to encode words. Specifically, children varied in the number of words learned and the phonological precision of word forms at the end of the initial training session. Children demonstrated similarities in re-encoding in that they refined representations at a similar rate during subsequent sessions. Children did not differ in their ability to consolidate words between sessions, or in their ability to retain words over the 1-month delay.
Conclusions: The amount of experience children need to learn words is primarily driven by the amount of information encoded during the initial experience. When provided with high-quality instruction, children demonstrate a similar ability to consolidate and retain words. Critically, word learning instruction in educational settings must include repeated explicit instruction with the same words to support learning in children with typical development and varying language skills.

Supplemental Material S1. Additional information about children’s performance on the GFTA-3 and Whole Word and Phonological Precision Scores.

Supplemental Material S2. Additional information about words trained each day for each child.

Supplemental Material S3. Performance of individual children including the number of words correct at the last training day, and number of words trained to criterion.

Supplemental Material S4. Specific characteristics of training days including average number of word trained each day and dosage of words within and across training days.

Supplemental Material S5. Final models for all analyses with PPVT scores and final models for all analyses with age in months.

Supplemental Material S6. Effect of retest on performance at one month.

Gordon, K. R., Lowry, S. L., Ohlmann, N. B., & Fitzpatrick, D. (2022). Word learning by preschool-age children: Differences in encoding, re-encoding, and consolidation across learners during slow mapping. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1044/2022_JSLHR-21-00530

{'Purpose': '目的在于探讨典型发展儿童在词汇学习过程中所需经验量的差异。此差异可能源于输入期间编码信息量的不同，或输入期间信息巩固的不同，亦或二者兼有。本研究的主要目的是确定编码、巩固，或两者共同作用，是否推动了个体在慢映射过程中的差异。', 'Method': '对43名4至6岁的儿童进行了为期数日的训练，涉及九组形式-指称配对。在每个会话的开始和结束时，评估儿童命名指称物的能力。词汇学习能力的评估在训练1个月后进行，以确定长期记忆。', 'Results': '具有不同语言知识和技能的儿童在编码词汇的能力上存在差异。具体而言，儿童在初始训练会话结束时学习的词汇数量和词汇形式的语音精确度上存在差异。在重新编码方面，儿童表现出相似性，他们在后续会话中以相似的速度精炼表征。儿童在会话间巩固词汇的能力，或在一月延迟期内保留词汇的能力上没有差异。', 'Conclusions': '儿童学习词汇所需的经验量主要受初始经验期间编码的信息量驱动。当提供高质量的指导时，儿童在巩固和保留词汇方面的能力表现出相似性。关键的是，教育环境中的词汇学习指导必须包括对同一词汇的重复明确指导，以支持典型发展且语言技能不同的儿童的学习。', 'Supplemental Material S1': '关于儿童在GFTA-3和整体单词及语音精确度得分上的表现的附加信息。', 'Supplemental Material S2': '关于每天为每个儿童训练的词汇的附加信息。', 'Supplemental Material S3': '关于个别儿童的表现的附加信息，包括最后训练日正确的词汇数量，以及达到标准训练的词汇数量。', 'Supplemental Material S4': '关于训练日具体特征的附加信息，包括每天平均训练的词汇数量和训练日内及训练日间的词汇剂量。', 'Supplemental Material S5': '所有分析中PPVT得分的最终模型，以及所有分析中月份年龄的最终模型。', 'Supplemental Material S6': '重新测试对一个月后表现的影响。', 'Reference': 'Gordon, K. R., Lowry, S. L., Ohlmann, N. B., & Fitzpatrick, D. (2022). 幼儿期儿童词汇学习：慢映射过程中编码、重新编码和巩固在学习者之间的差异。言语、语言和听力研究杂志。提前在线发表。https://doi.org/10.1044/2022_JSLHR-21-00530'}