Can we predict non-response in developmental tasks? Assessing the longitudinal relation between toddlers' non-response and early academic skills

To date, virtually no studies have examined toddlers' non-response in developmental tasks. This study investigates data from 3667 toddlers to address (1) whether two aspects of non-response (completion and engagement) are separable, (2) how stable these aspects are from ages two to three, (3) how non-response relates to background characteristics, and (4) whether non-response at ages two and three predicts early academic skills at age six. Structural equation modelling shows that completion and engagement are separable constructs, relatively stable across age, and related to several background characteristics. Especially engagement predicts later academic performance. Results show that non-response in behavioural tasks in toddlers is not random, increasing the likelihood of sampling bias and lack of generalizability in developmental studies

Robustness of the rule-learning effect in 7-month-old infants: A close, multicenter replication of Marcus et al. (1999)

We conducted a close replication of the seminal work by Marcus and colleagues from 1999, which showed that after a brief auditory exposure phase, 7-month-old infants were able to learn and generalize a rule to novel syllables not previously present in the exposure phase. This work became the foundation for the theoretical framework by which we assume that infants are able to learn abstract representations and generalize linguistic rules. While some extensions on the original work have shown evidence of rule learning, the outcomes are mixed, and an exact replication of Marcus et al.'s study has thus far not been reported. A recent meta-analysis by Rabagliati and colleagues brings to light that the rule-learning effect depends on stimulus type (e.g., meaningfulness, speech vs. nonspeech) and is not as robust as often assumed. In light of the theoretical importance of the issue at stake, it is appropriate and necessary to assess the replicability and robustness of Marcus et al.'s findings. Here we have undertaken a replication across four labs with a large sample of 7-month-old infants (N = 96), using the same exposure patterns (ABA and ABB), methodology (Headturn Preference Paradigm), and original stimuli. As in the original study, we tested the hypothesis that infants are able to learn abstract “algebraic” rules and apply them to novel input. Our results did not replicate the original findings: infants showed no difference in looking time between test patterns consistent or inconsistent with the familiarization pattern they were exposed to

Teaching Turkish‐Dutch kindergartners Dutch vocabulary with a social robot:Does the robot's use of Turkish translations benefit children's Dutch vocabulary learning?

Providing first language (L1) translations in L2 vocabulary interventions may be beneficial for L2 vocabulary learning. However, in linguistically diverse L2 classrooms, teachers cannot provide L1 translations to all children. Social robots do offer such opportunities, as they can be programmed to speak any combination of languages. This study investigates whether providing L1 translations in a robot-assisted L2 vocabulary training facilitates children's learning. Participants were Turkish-Dutch kindergartners (n = 67) who were taught six Dutch (L2) words for which they knew the L1 (Turkish), but not the L2 Dutch form. Half of these words were taught by a Turkish-Dutch bilingual robot, alongside their Turkish translations; the other half by a monolingual Dutch robot. Children also completed Dutch and Turkish receptive vocabulary tests. Results of generalized linear regression models indicated better performance in the Dutch-only condition than in the Turkish-Dutch condition. Children with well-developed Turkish and Dutch vocabulary knowledge outperformed children with less well-developed vocabulary knowledge. The majority of children preferred working with the bilingual robot, but children's preference did not affect word learning. Thus, contrary to our prediction, we found no evidence for a facilitating effect of providing L1 translations through a robot on bilingual children's L2 word learning

Robustness of the rule-learning effect in 7-month-old infants: A close, multicenter replication of Marcus et al. (1999)

We conducted a close replication of the seminal work by Marcus and colleagues from 1999, which showed that after a brief auditory exposure phase, 7-month-old infants were able to learn and generalize a rule to novel syllables not previously present in the exposure phase. This work became the foundation for the theoretical framework by which we assume that infants are able to learn abstract representations and generalize linguistic rules. While some extensions on the original work have shown evidence of rule learning, the outcomes are mixed, and an exact replication of Marcus et al.'s study has thus far not been reported. A recent meta-analysis by Rabagliati and colleagues brings to light that the rule-learning effect depends on stimulus type (e.g., meaningfulness, speech vs. nonspeech) and is not as robust as often assumed. In light of the theoretical importance of the issue at stake, it is appropriate and necessary to assess the replicability and robustness of Marcus et al.'s findings. Here we have undertaken a replication across four labs with a large sample of 7-month-old infants (N = 96), using the same exposure patterns (ABA and ABB), methodology (Headturn Preference Paradigm), and original stimuli. As in the original study, we tested the hypothesis that infants are able to learn abstract “algebraic” rules and apply them to novel input. Our results did not replicate the original findings: infants showed no difference in looking time between test patterns consistent or inconsistent with the familiarization pattern they were exposed to

Teaching Turkish-Dutch Kindergartners Dutch Vocabulary with a Social Robot

This OSF pages contains the analyses and data for Leeuwestein, H., Barking, M., Sodacı, H., Oudgenoeg-Paz, O., Verhagen, J., Vogt, P., Aarts, R., Spit, S., Haas, M., Wit, J., & Leseman, P. 2020. Teaching Turkish-Dutch Kindergartners Dutch Vocabulary with a Social Robot: Does the Robot’s Use of Turkish Translations Benefit Children’s Dutch Vocabulary Learning? Journal of Computer Assisted Learning

Training morphosyntactic skills in Dutch preschoolers with (presumed) DLD

This OSF pages contains the analyses for the manuscript "Training morphosyntactic skills in Dutch preschoolers with (presumed) Developmental Language Disorder: a novel group-based intervention". The dataset is available from the corresponding author on reasonable request

Investigating the relation between second language proficiency and study success using a causal inference approach

Research suggests that second language proficiency is key in students’ study progress. Prior research primarily focused on the statistical relation between proficiency and success among university students. This approach has two limitations. First, it is unclear how this statistical relation varies across different educational levels. Second, it is unclear whether these relations are informative about the causal relation between proficiency and success, which makes it difficult to develop intervention policies based on these studies. To address these shortcomings, we analyze a large historical registry dataset, which contains information on study success and language proficiency in examinees of the Dutch as a second language state exam. First, we map out the statistical dependency between language proficiency and examinees’ study success in various educational levels. Next, using novel graphical approaches to causal inference, we estimate the effect of a hypothetical intervention: would an increase in language proficiency affect study success rates

Kindergarteners use cross-situational statistics to infer the meaning of grammatical elements

Many studies demonstrate that detecting statistical regularities in the linguistic input plays a key role in language acquisition. In the present study, we investigated whether such learning is also involved in acquiring a morpho-syntactic structure that carries meaning. We exposed children to a miniature language in which children had to learn a grammatical marker that expressed number, and which could only be acquired on the basis of the distributional properties in the input. Results of a study with 50 kindergartners (M = 5;5) show that young children are able to infer this meaning statistically

Meta-linguistic awareness in early (second) language acquisition

PhD projec