Growth of finiteness in the third year of life: Replication and predictive validity

Pamela A. Hadley, Matthew Rispoli, Janet K. Holt, Colleen Fitzgerald, Alison Bahnsen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Purpose: The authors of this study investigated the validity of tense and agreement productivity (TAP) scoring in diverse sentence frames obtained during conversational language sampling as an alternative measure of finiteness for use with young children. Method: Longitudinal language samples were used to model TAP growth from 21 to 30 months of age for 37 typically developing toddlers. Empirical Bayes (EB) linear and quadratic growth coefficients and child sex were then used to predict elicited grammar composite scores on the Test of Early Grammatical Impairment (TEGI; Rice & Wexler, 2001) at 36 months. Results: A random-effects quadratic model with no intercept best characterized TAP growth, replicating the findings of Rispoli, Hadley, and Holt (2009). The combined regression model was significant, with the 3 variables accounting for 55.5% of the variance in the TEGI composite scores. Conclusion: These findings establish TAP growth as a valid metric of finiteness in the 3rd year of life. Developmental and theoretical implications are discussed.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)887-900
Number of pages14
JournalJournal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research
Volume57
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 2014

Keywords

  • Assessment
  • Finiteness
  • Grammar
  • Growth modeling
  • Language development

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Language and Linguistics
  • Linguistics and Language
  • Speech and Hearing

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