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Author(s): Schmitterer, Alexandra M. A.; Schroeder, Sascha
Title: Young children's ability to distinguish thematic relations. Development and predictive value for early reading
In: Cognitive Development, 50 (2019) , S. 22-35
DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2019.01.002
URN: urn:nbn:de:0111-dipfdocs-193860
URL: http://www.dipfdocs.de/volltexte/2021/19386/pdf/Cog_dev_2019_Schmitterer_Schroeder_Young_childrens_ability_to_distinguish_thematic_relations_A.pdf
Publication Type: 3a. Beiträge in begutachteten Zeitschriften; Aufsatz (keine besondere Kategorie)
Language: Englisch
Keywords: Semantik; Wissen; Thema; Vorkenntnisse; Homonymie; Längsschnittstudie; Lesenlernen
Abstract (english): Thematic relations are important semantic features in the young child's lexicon. So far, it is unclear how the ability to distinguish different strengths of thematic relations develops, whether this ability depends on specific word characteristics (homonyms), and whether it is linked to reading acquisition. In this longitudinal study, 62 children were asked to judge which of two words (i.e., thunder, fire) matched a presented context sentence (i.e., Miriam sees the lightning.) in a thematic judgment task. The strength of the thematic relation of the distractors to the target sentence (associated, unrelated) and types of context words (homonyms, non-homonyms) were varied. Children's performance was more accurate and developed faster in the unrelated than in the association condition. Furthermore, children were more accurate in homonym compared to non-homonym responses. Moreover, children's thematic judgment abilities predicted their later reading skill over other important precursor abilities of reading, including listening comprehension. (DIPF/Orig.)
DIPF-Departments: Bildung und Entwicklung