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Exploration of Serial Structure Procedural Learning in Children with Language Impairment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 January 2011

Audrey Gabriel ,
Christelle Maillart ,
Melody Guillaume ,
Nicolas Stefaniak  and
Thierry Meulemans
Audrey Gabriel*
Affiliation:
Department of Cognitive Science, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
Christelle Maillart
Affiliation:
Department of Cognitive Science, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
Melody Guillaume
Affiliation:
Department of Cognitive Science, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
Nicolas Stefaniak
Affiliation:
CLEA, Department of Psychology, University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Reims, France
Thierry Meulemans
Affiliation:
Department of Cognitive Science, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to: Audrey Gabriel, Department of Cognitive Science, University of Liège, B38, Rue de l'Aunaie, 30, 4000 Liège - Belgium. E-mail: audrey.gabriel@ulg.ac.be
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Abstract

Recent studies on specific language impairment (SLI) have suggested that language deficits are directly associated with poor procedural learning abilities. Findings from our previous work are contrary to this hypothesis; we found that children with SLI were able to learn eight-element-long sequences as fast and as accurately as children with normal language (NL) on a serial reaction time (SRT) task. A probabilistic rather than a deterministic SRT paradigm was used in the current study to explore procedural learning in children with SLI to mimic real conditions of language learning. Fifteen children with or without SLI were compared on an SRT task including a probabilistic eight-element-long sequence. Results show that children with SLI were able to learn this sequence as fast and as accurately as children with NL, and that similar sequence-specific learning was observed in both groups. These results are novel and suggest that children with SLI do not display global procedural system deficits. (JINS, 2011, 17, 336–343)

Keywords

Language development disordersLanguage developmentChild languageSerial learningMotor skillsProbability learning
Type
Research Articles
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 17 , Issue 2 , 28 February 2011 , pp. 336 - 343
Copyright
Copyright © The International Neuropsychological Society 2011

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