348,378 research outputs found

    Using modelling for teaching social skills to children with autism: A literature review &, effects of video-modelling on the acquisition and generalisation of play behaviour in children with autism

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    Impaired social functioning is a characteristic feature of autistic spectrum disorder. Various interventions have been developed to address social dysfunction in children with autism. The purpose of this paper is to review studies that have examined the efficacy of using modelling procedures to teach children with autism social skills. Modelling involves observing a model performing a target behaviour intended for the observer to imitate. Modelling techniques have effectively incorporated a range of models including adults, peers, and target children by observing videotapes of themselves. Peer-mediated strategies have been shown to substantially increase social behaviour in children with autism, however generalisation is limited. The use of videotaped models has been successful in both skill acquisition and generalisation. Applications of video technology and suggestions for future modelling research are discussed. The present study examined the effects of video-modelling on the acquisition and generalisation of play sequences across various toys in 4 boys with autism. Four separate experiments using a single-case experimental design, with multiple baselines across 3 toys within each participant were used. Two boys were given access to 3 unrelated toys, and two boys were given 3 related toys. Video-modelling procedures with each of the 3 unrelated toys resulted in increased levels of verbal and motor play behaviour across both boys. Increases in verbal and motor play with the first related toy generalised across to the other 2 related toys for both boys. Levels of repetitive play also decreased during video intervention for both related and unrelated toys. Treatment effects were maintained during 1-week follow-up. Results suggest video-modelling was an effective method of increasing and generalising verbal and motor play behaviour, and, decreasing repetitive play across all 4 boys

    The Composite Nature of Interlanguage as a Developing System

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    This paper explores the nature of interlanguage (IL) as a developing system with a focus on the abstract lexical structure underlying IL construction. The developing system of IL is assumed to be ‘composite’ in that in second language acquisition (SLA) several linguistic systems are in contact, each of which may contribute different amounts to the developing system. The lexical structure is assumed to be ‘abstract’ in that the mental lexicon contains abstract elements called ‘lemmas’, which contain information about individual lexemes, and lemmas in the bilingual mental lexicon are language-specific and are in contact in IL production. Based on the research findings, it concludes that language transfer in IL production should be understood as lemma transfer of the learner's first language (L1) lexical structure at three abstract levels: lexical-conceptual structure, predicate-argument structure, and morphological realization patterns, and IL construction is driven by an incompletely acquired abstract lexical structure of a target language (TL) item

    Tracking technical refinement in elite performers: The good, the better, and the ugly

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    This study extends coaching research examining the practical implementation of technical refinement in elite-level golfers. In doing so, we provide an initial check of precepts pertaining to the Five-A Model and, examine the dynamics between coaching, psychomotor, biomechanical and psychological inputs to the process. Three case studies of golfers attempting refinements to their already well-established techniques are reported. Kinematic data were supplemented with intra-individual movement variability and self-perceptions of mental effort as measures of tracking behaviour and motor control. Results showed different levels of success in refining technique and subsequent ability to return to executing under largely subconscious control. In one case, the technique was refined as intended but without consistent reduction of conscious attention, in another, both were successfully apparent, whereas in the third case neither was achieved. Implications of these studies are discussed with reference to the process’ interdisciplinary nature and importance of the initial and final stages

    Negative input for grammatical errors: effects after a lag of 12 weeks

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    Effects of negative input for 13 categories of grammatical error were assessed in a longitudinal study of naturalistic adult-child discourse. Two-hour samples of conversational interaction were obtained at two points in time, separated by a lag of 12 weeks, for 12 children (mean age 2;0 at the start). The data were interpreted within the framework offered by Saxton’s (1997; 2000) contrast theory of negative input. Corrective input was associated with subsequent improvements in the grammaticality of child speech for three of the target structures. No effects were found for two forms of positive input: non-contingent models, where the adult produces target structures in non-error-contingent contexts; and contingent models, where grammatical forms follow grammatical child usages. The findings lend support to the view that, in some cases at least, the structure of adult-child discourse yields information on the bounds of grammaticality for the language-learning child

    The kindergarten-path effect revisited: children’s use of context in processing structural ambiguities

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    Research with adults has shown that ambiguous spoken sentences are resolved efficiently, exploiting multiple cues—including referential context—to select the intended meaning. Paradoxically, children appear to be insensitive to referential cues when resolving ambiguous sentences, relying instead on statistical properties intrinsic to the language such as verb biases. The possibility that children’s insensitivity to referential context may be an artifact of the experimental design used in previous work was explored with 60 4- to 11-year-olds. An act-out task was designed to discourage children from making incorrect pragmatic inferences and to prevent premature and ballistic responses by enforcing delayed actions. Performance on this task was compared directly with the standard act-out task used in previous studies. The results suggest that young children (5 years) do not use contextual information, even under conditions designed to maximize their use of such cues, but that adult-like processing is evident by approximately 8 years of age. These results support and extend previous findings by Trueswell and colleagues (Cognition (1999), Vol. 73, pp. 89–134) and are consistent with a constraint-based learning account of children’s linguistic development.</p

    The ASL-CDI 2.0: an updated, normed adaptation of the MacArthur Bates Communicative Development Inventory for American Sign Language

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    Vocabulary is a critical early marker of language development. The MacArthur Bates Communicative Development Inventory has been adapted to dozens of languages, and provides a bird’s-eye view of children’s early vocabularies which can be informative for both research and clinical purposes. We present an update to the American Sign Language Communicative Development Inventory (the ASL-CDI 2.0, https://www.aslcdi.org), a normed assessment of early ASL vocabulary that can be widely administered online by individuals with no formal training in sign language linguistics. The ASL-CDI 2.0 includes receptive and expressive vocabulary, and a Gestures and Phrases section; it also introduces an online interface that presents ASL signs as videos. We validated the ASL-CDI 2.0 with expressive and receptive in-person tasks administered to a subset of participants. The norming sample presented here consists of 120 deaf children (ages 9 to 73 months) with deaf parents. We present an analysis of the measurement properties of the ASL-CDI 2.0. Vocabulary increases with age, as expected. We see an early noun bias that shifts with age, and a lag between receptive and expressive vocabulary. We present these findings with indications for how the ASL-CDI 2.0 may be used in a range of clinical and research settingsAccepted manuscrip

    Are Corporate Takeovers In The Nation\u27s Interest?

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    The acquisition of German plurals

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    Assessment of the Accuracy of a Multi-Beam LED Scanner Sensor for Measuring Olive Canopies

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    MDPI. CC BYCanopy characterization has become important when trying to optimize any kind of agricultural operation in high-growing crops, such as olive. Many sensors and techniques have reported satisfactory results in these approaches and in this work a 2D laser scanner was explored for measuring canopy trees in real-time conditions. The sensor was tested in both laboratory and field conditions to check its accuracy, its cone width, and its ability to characterize olive canopies in situ. The sensor was mounted on a mast and tested in laboratory conditions to check: (i) its accuracy at different measurement distances; (ii) its measurement cone width with different reflectivity targets; and (iii) the influence of the target’s density on its accuracy. The field tests involved both isolated and hedgerow orchards, in which the measurements were taken manually and with the sensor. The canopy volume was estimated with a methodology consisting of revolving or extruding the canopy contour. The sensor showed high accuracy in the laboratory test, except for the measurements performed at 1.0 m distance, with 60 mm error (6%). Otherwise, error remained below 20 mm (1% relative error). The cone width depended on the target reflectivity. The accuracy decreased with the target density
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