Real-Time Spoken Word Recognition in Adults With and Without Developmental Language Disorder: The Role of Early Language Skills.
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| Title: | Real-Time Spoken Word Recognition in Adults With and Without Developmental Language Disorder: The Role of Early Language Skills. |
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| Authors: | Trinh, Mi1 mi-trinh@uiowa.edu, Tomblin, J. Bruce1, Oleson, Jacob2, Hendrickson, Kristi1 |
| Source: | Journal of Speech, Language & Hearing Research. Mar2026, Vol. 69 Issue 3, p1073-1090. 18p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Communicative competence, *Language disorders, *Speech perception, *Language acquisition, Psycholinguistics, Paradigms (Social sciences), Eye movements |
| Abstract: | Purpose: This study aims to address the critical gap in research on real-time language processing in adults with developmental language disorder (DLD). We examine whether adults with DLD continue to exhibit differences in the dynamics of spoken word recognition observed in childhood or whether these differences resolve by adulthood. Additionally, drawing on data from the Iowa Longitudinal Study, we investigate how individual differences in adult word recognition are shaped by early childhood language abilities. Method: Adults aged 34-36 years (n = 71; 28 with a childhood diagnosis of DLD) were recruited from a cohort of individuals who participated in the Iowa Longitudinal Study. The dynamics of spoken word recognition were assessed using eye tracking in the visual world paradigm in which participants heard a word and selected the correct visual referent from a display of four images: the target ("money"), phonological competitors (cohort [e.g., "mother"] or rhyme [e.g., "honey"]), and unrelated items ("whistle" and "blanket"). Results: We analyzed eye fixations to the target to assess the degree and speed of recognition and fixations to competitors to evaluate the timing and strength of lexical competition across groups. Adults with DLD activated targets and competitors similarly to adults with typical language, no longer exhibiting deficits found in childhood. However, across groups, both regression and principal component analyses revealed that individual differences in language scores in kindergarten are strongly linked to the dynamics of word recognition 30 years later. Conclusions: Results suggest that, by adulthood, the dynamics underlying spoken word recognition for familiar words are largely similar in adults with and without DLD. However, individual differences in spoken word recognition in adulthood are strongly predicted by language ability in kindergarten. Findings emphasize the role of early language skills in laying the foundation for basic language processes in adulthood and underscore the importance of viewing language ability as a continuous spectrum rather than a categorical construct. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.31158757 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Journal of Speech, Language & Hearing Research is the property of American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Education Research Complete |
| FullText | Links: – Type: pdflink Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Header | DbId: ehh DbLabel: Education Research Complete An: 192310466 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Real-Time Spoken Word Recognition in Adults With and Without Developmental Language Disorder: The Role of Early Language Skills. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Trinh%2C+Mi%22">Trinh, Mi</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><i> mi-trinh@uiowa.edu</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Tomblin%2C+J%2E+Bruce%22">Tomblin, J. Bruce</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Oleson%2C+Jacob%22">Oleson, Jacob</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Hendrickson%2C+Kristi%22">Hendrickson, Kristi</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Speech%2C+Language+%26+Hearing+Research%22">Journal of Speech, Language & Hearing Research</searchLink>. Mar2026, Vol. 69 Issue 3, p1073-1090. 18p. – Name: Subject Label: Subject Terms Group: Su Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Communicative+competence%22">Communicative competence</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Language+disorders%22">Language disorders</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Speech+perception%22">Speech perception</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Language+acquisition%22">Language acquisition</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Psycholinguistics%22">Psycholinguistics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Paradigms+%28Social+sciences%29%22">Paradigms (Social sciences)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Eye+movements%22">Eye movements</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Purpose: This study aims to address the critical gap in research on real-time language processing in adults with developmental language disorder (DLD). We examine whether adults with DLD continue to exhibit differences in the dynamics of spoken word recognition observed in childhood or whether these differences resolve by adulthood. Additionally, drawing on data from the Iowa Longitudinal Study, we investigate how individual differences in adult word recognition are shaped by early childhood language abilities. Method: Adults aged 34-36 years (n = 71; 28 with a childhood diagnosis of DLD) were recruited from a cohort of individuals who participated in the Iowa Longitudinal Study. The dynamics of spoken word recognition were assessed using eye tracking in the visual world paradigm in which participants heard a word and selected the correct visual referent from a display of four images: the target ("money"), phonological competitors (cohort [e.g., "mother"] or rhyme [e.g., "honey"]), and unrelated items ("whistle" and "blanket"). Results: We analyzed eye fixations to the target to assess the degree and speed of recognition and fixations to competitors to evaluate the timing and strength of lexical competition across groups. Adults with DLD activated targets and competitors similarly to adults with typical language, no longer exhibiting deficits found in childhood. However, across groups, both regression and principal component analyses revealed that individual differences in language scores in kindergarten are strongly linked to the dynamics of word recognition 30 years later. Conclusions: Results suggest that, by adulthood, the dynamics underlying spoken word recognition for familiar words are largely similar in adults with and without DLD. However, individual differences in spoken word recognition in adulthood are strongly predicted by language ability in kindergarten. Findings emphasize the role of early language skills in laying the foundation for basic language processes in adulthood and underscore the importance of viewing language ability as a continuous spectrum rather than a categorical construct. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.31158757 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Speech, Language & Hearing Research is the property of American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1044/2025_JSLHR-25-00464 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 18 StartPage: 1073 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Communicative competence Type: general – SubjectFull: Language disorders Type: general – SubjectFull: Speech perception Type: general – SubjectFull: Language acquisition Type: general – SubjectFull: Psycholinguistics Type: general – SubjectFull: Paradigms (Social sciences) Type: general – SubjectFull: Eye movements Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Real-Time Spoken Word Recognition in Adults With and Without Developmental Language Disorder: The Role of Early Language Skills. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Trinh, Mi – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Tomblin, J. Bruce – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Oleson, Jacob – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Hendrickson, Kristi IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 03 Text: Mar2026 Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 10924388 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 69 – Type: issue Value: 3 Titles: – TitleFull: Journal of Speech, Language & Hearing Research Type: main |
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