Differential Effects of Four Comprehension-Facilitating Conditions on LD and Normal Elementary-School Readers

1982 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 106-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanna W. Pflaum ◽  
Ernest T. Pascarella ◽  
Carol Auer ◽  
Linda Augustyn ◽  
Mary Boswick

Ninety-nine elementary-school learning disabled and normal children were assigned to one of four comprehension-facilitating conditions (word identification and meaning aids, sentence aids, purpose-setting aids, and prior-knowledge aids) to determine their effects on comprehension. Controlling for age, intelligence, prior reading achievement, and pretest comprehension levels, sentence aids were found to be significantly more effective than prior knowledge for both learning disabled and similarly achieving, but younger readers. Moreover, for the same two groups of subjects the average effect of words and sentences (micro-level aids) was significantly higher than the average effect of purpose setting and prior knowledge (macro-level aids). No significant differences were found among the four types of comprehension facilitators for normally achieving readers who were the same age as the learning disabled group.

1983 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean R. Harber

This study examined the effect of three illustration conditions — no illustrations, complete illustrations, and partial illustrations — on the reading performance of learning disabled and normally achieving children. With the effects of chronological age and intelligence test score controlled, illustrations were found to exert a detrimental effect on the learning disabled subjects' performance but a beneficial effect on the performance of normally achieving subjects. Findings are discussed as they relate to the selection and/or adaptation of instructional materials for learning disabled students.


1987 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet Kistner ◽  
Mary Haskett ◽  
Karen White ◽  
Frank Robbins

Elementary and middle-school learning disabled (LD) and normally achieving (NA) students' responses to the Perceived Competence Scale for Children were compared. This scale measures general self-worth as well as perceptions of cognitive, social and physical competence. In accord with previous research, LD students were found to hold lower opinions of their cognitive abilities than did NA students. Furthermore, compared to their peers, LD students held less favorable perceptions of their physical abilities. LD and NA students' ratings for general self-esteem did not differ, nor did the groups vary in perception of social competence. These results indicate that LD children maintain generally positive self-evaluations, despite their recognition of limitations in some areas. Based on comparisons between teacher and student ratings, subgroups of LD students who held unrealistically positive or negative perceptions of themselves were identified. The characteristics of these subgroups were examined.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laetitia Zmuda ◽  
Charlotte Baey ◽  
Paolo Mairano ◽  
Anahita Basirat

It is well-known that individuals can identify novel words in a stream of an artificial language using statistical dependencies. While underlying computations are thought to be similar from one stream to another (e.g. transitional probabilities between syllables), performance are not similar. According to the “linguistic entrenchment” hypothesis, this would be due to the fact that individuals have some prior knowledge regarding co-occurrences of elements in speech which intervene during verbal statistical learning. The focus of previous studies was on task performance. The goal of the current study is to examine the extent to which prior knowledge impacts metacognition (i.e. ability to evaluate one’s own cognitive processes). Participants were exposed to two different artificial languages. Using a fully Bayesian approach, we estimated an unbiased measure of metacognitive efficiency and compared the two languages in terms of task performance and metacognition. While task performance was higher in one of the languages, the metacognitive efficiency was similar in both languages. In addition, a model assuming no correlation between the two languages better accounted for our results compared to a model where correlations were introduced. We discuss the implications of our findings regarding the computations which underlie the interaction between input and prior knowledge during verbal statistical learning.


2003 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 145-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Fernández ◽  
W. Herrera ◽  
T. Harmony ◽  
L Díaz-Comas ◽  
E. Santiago ◽  
...  

Neurofeedback (NFB) is an operant conditioning procedure, by which the subject learns to control his/her EEG activity. On one hand, Learning Disabled (LD) children have higher values of theta EEG absolute and relative power than normal children, and on the other hand, it has been shown that minimum alpha absolute power is necessary for adequate performance. Ten LD children were selected with higher than normal ratios of theta to alpha absolute power (theta/alpha). The Test Of Variables of Attention (TOVA) was applied. Children were divided into two groups in order to maintain similar IQ values, TOVA values, socioeconomical status, and gender for each group. In the experimental group, NFB was applied in the region with highest ratio, triggering a sound each time the ratio fell below a threshold value. Noncontingent reinforcement was given to the other group. Twenty half-hour sessions were applied, at a rate of 2 per week. At the end of the 20 sessions, TOVA, WISC and EEG were obtained. There was significant improvement in WISC performance in the experimental group that was not observed in the control group. EEG absolute power decreased in delta, theta, alpha and beta bands in the experimental group. Control children only showed a decrease in relative power in the delta band. All changes observed in the experimental group and not observed in the control group indicate better cognitive performance and the presence of greater EEG maturation in the experimental group, which suggests that changes were due not only to development but also to NFB treatment.


1983 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rochelle B. Simms ◽  
W. Donald Crump

Syntax is a crucial component of oral language development. Frequently, learning disabled children's oral language development is characterized by syntax problems. Hence, since deviations in oral language development may form the basis for identification of learning disabilities, adequate indices of oral language development are needed. The purpose of this study was to explore two indices of syntactic development in oral language, the T-unit and the Syntactic Density Score. Learning disabled students and a matched group of normally achieving peers were compared on these indices at four age levels. Results are reported for each measure along with a discussion and implications.


1969 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 319-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas H. Shriner ◽  
Mary Sayre Holloway ◽  
Raymond G. Daniloff

The relationship between articulatory deficits and the development of syntax in children with severe articulation problems was investigated. Subjects in the experimental group were 30 normal elementary school children, enrolled in grades one through three, who had severe problems with articulation. Thirty normal children, free from any articulation errors, served as a control group. Children with defective articulation performed significantly less well in the areas of grammatical usage, and used shorter sentences. The relationship between phonological and syntactical errors is discussed, with implications for therapy.


1983 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 539-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. P. J. Schmidt ◽  
D. H. Saklofske

This study investigated the diagnostic usefulness of WISC-R Verbal-Performance IQ discrepancies, subtest scatter, and Bannatyne's subtest recategorizations with educationally normal and exceptional groups of children. The subjects for this study were four groups of 74 learning disabled, 24 mentally retarded, 94 gifted, and 85 educationally normal children. No significant differences in discrepancies in Verbal-Performance IQs occurred among the four groups although learning disabled children more often showed Performance > Verbal discrepancies. No differences were found between the samples in the amount of subtest scatter. Group differences were noted in the patterns of scores on Bannatyne's recategorizations.


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