Intentionality and Language Development

The purpose of this paper is to argue for explicit reference in child language research to the states of mind that underlie expression. As a result of taking this Intentional stance we can more cogently (1) address the development of capacities that make such representations possible; (2) explain certain well-known phenomena in language development such as the transitions to using words and learning grammar; and (3) explore the developmental relation among different systems of expression such as between speech and affect. Expressions, whether through action, speech, or affect, are a license to attribute the representations that underlie them. Such attributions are basic in research with children learning language. Our goal is to highlight this practice, and, thereby, offer a theoretical framework for unifying the perspectives within which research in language development is ordinarily pursued

An investigation into the relationship between mother-child co-regulation patterns and self-regulation development

The significance of strong, healthy self-regulation development has been highlighted by many studies. Recent work on self-regulation development in early childhood has utilized dynamic systems theory to showcase the supportive relationship between parent-child co-regulation and children’s self-regulation development. Co-regulation is a socialization process by which children learn how to regulate their behaviors and emotions. Parents exercise co-regulation through modeling, coaching, and explaining their regulatory expectations. This study sought to link co-regulation and emotion related socialization behaviors (ERSB) exchanges during a mother-child interaction to that child’s self-regulation abilities. Fifteen-minute video observations of 41 dyads participating in a semi-structured play task were used to track co-regulation and ERSB exchanges. The data from these observations were compared to children’s self-regulation scores. Two parent-reported scores using the Emotion Regulation Checklist and a researcher assigned behavioral observation global self-regulation score were used as markers of the children’s self-regulation abilities. Most dyads demonstrated high rates of engagement and co-regulation behaviors. Dyads also tended to express neutral or positive affect during the observed interaction. While direct links between the main variables were not found, findings suggest that a dynamic perspective to self-regulation development is complex and requires multiple data collection points and a longitudinal research design to best capture the impact of co-regulation processes

Segmentation ART: A Neural Network for Word Recognition from Continuous Speech

The Segmentation ATIT (Adaptive Resonance Theory) network for word recognition from a continuous speech stream is introduced. An input sequeuce represents phonemes detected at a preproccesing stage. Segmentation ATIT is trained rapidly, and uses a fast-learning fuzzy ART modules, top-down expectation, and a spatial representation of temporal order. The network performs on-line identification of word boundaries, correcting an initial hypothesis if subsequent phonemes are incompatible with a previous partition. Simulations show that the system's segmentation perfonnance is comparable to that of TRACE, and the ability to segment a number of difficult phrases is also demonstrated.National Science Foundation (NSF-IRI-94-01659); Office of Naval Research (N00014-95-1-0409, N00014-95-1-0G57

Why the Child's Theory of Mind Really Is a Theory

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73444/1/j.1468-0017.1992.tb00202.x.pd

Spartan Daily, January 26, 2000

Volume 114, Issue 1https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/spartandaily/9498/thumbnail.jp

An analysis of computer aided instruction for cognitive-psychomotor development

The problem of this study was to evaluate the relationship between cognition and psychomotor development in a computer based arc welding simulation. A prettest-posttest control group design with two treatment groups and one control was used in the investigation. Forty-five Iowa State University students were selected as subjects and placed into the groups. Data collected from all participants were as follows: (1) demographic information; (2) eye-hand coordination; (3) cognitive pretest and posttest scores. The two treatment groups also provided weld quality scores. Initial training and pretesting was given to all groups in the study. The first treatment group used a microcomputer based arc welder simulation to develop welding motor skills. The second treatment group used an actual arc welder for the skill development. After a demonstration and a period of practice, the two treatment groups were instructed to complete a weld on steel plates. The welds were subsequently judged and scores recorded. Following the welding activity, all three groups received the posttest;The data collected in the study were analyzed and the findings are as follows: (1) A partial correlation showed a relationship between cognitive test performance and psychomotor skill development; (2) an analysis of variance procedure showed no difference between the welding performances of the two treatment groups while, in the weld score multiple regression equation, only posttest score and sex were shown to be valuable predictors of weld score; (3) an analysis of variance showed no difference between means of cognitive test scores of the treatment groups

Spoken communicative intents among 3- to 4.5-year-old french-speaking children : procedure and data from the early longitudinal languageand neglect study

Purpose: This study aimed to: 1- provide speech-language pathologists and researchers with a play-based procedure to measure the expression of communicative intents by children aged 3 to 4.5 years, and 2- present indicators of these children’s capacity to produce these intents in this context. Method: A TRIAGE-inspired method allowed an advisory group of 16 speech-language pathologists to select and agree on definitions of intents to include in this procedure, among a set of 13 pre-selected intents based on the scientific literature. A longitudinal design including four measuring times was used to verify the production of these intents by 99 French speaking children (46 boys; Mage = 36;09 months) at 36, 42, 48, and 54 months using the Neighbourhood Game, a previously developed elicitation procedure of communicative intents conducted within the context of symbolic play. For each measurement time, the average percentage of children who had produced each intent at least three times was calculated with a 95% confidence interval. Non-parametric ANOVA for longitudinal data were carried out to verify progression with age. Results: A finalised list of eight communicative intents was selected along with their definition and a standardized script to elicit them during symbolic play. The production frequency of most intents showed significant progression between the first and the fourth measurement time. Arguing is the only intent which is still not produced by more than 90% of children at the age of 54 months. Conclusions: This study led to the development of an assessment procedure which presents ecological validity and elicits the expression of eight communicative intents among 3- to 4.5-year-olds. This procedure can support the work of speech-language pathologists and researchers