Francesc Sidera Caballero

Argument omissions in preschool Catalan and Spanish speaking children with SLI

Abstract This paper describes three studies on verb production and argument structure in children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI) using different methodologies. The first is an observational study which uses a spontaneous-talk longitudinal sample. The second uses an experimental sentence naming task as a result of event video observation. The third comprises an experimental sentence naming task with static images that differ in verb argument complexity. Although the specific data vary according to the methodology used, there is clear evidence that Catalan and Spanish speaking children with SLI have special difficulties in producing verbs with a highly complex argument structure and make errors in the specification of obligatory arguments. It is concluded that both processing limitations and deficits in the semantic representation of verbs may play a role in these difficulties.

Labelling Improves False Belief Understanding. A Training Study

A total of 104 children aged between 41 and 47 months were selected to study the relationship between language and false belief understanding. Participants were assigned to four different training conditions: discourse, labelling, control (all with deceptive objects), and sentential complements (involving non-deceptive objects). Post-test results showed an improvement in childrens false belief understanding in the discourse and the labelling conditions, but not in the sentential complements with non-deceptive objects or the control group. Furthermore, the most remarkable improvement in false belief understanding occurred in the labelling group. These results suggest that some types of linguistic experience promote the development of false belief understanding, provided that differing perspectives are confronted.

Adquisició del llenguatge i cognició

Aquest article se centra en les relacions entre el llenguatge i la cognicio, principalment en la influencia de l’adquisicio del llenguatge en la cognicio. S’assumeix que hi ha una relacio estreta i bidireccional entre el desenvolupament linguistic i el cognitiu. Aquest article preten il·lustrar com l’adquisicio d’un sistema linguistic te repercussions a nivell cognitiu, no nomes en la primera infancia. La discussio dels diversos estudis porta a comprendre la influencia de l’adquisicio del llenguatge a diversos nivells. Tant pel que fa al desenvolupament cognitiu inicial, com en relacio amb la importancia de l’adquisicio del llenguatge per al desenvolupament de les habilitats metacognitives i de les funcions executives. Diferents aspectes de l’adquisicio del llenguatge potencien el desenvolupament cognitiu de manera que dificilment podria succeir sense llenguatge.