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Procedural Learning in Specific Language Impairment: Effects of Sequence Complexity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 January 2013

Audrey Gabriel ,
Christelle Maillart ,
Nicolas Stefaniak ,
Caroline Lejeune ,
Lise Desmottes  and
Thierry Meulemans
Audrey Gabriel*
Affiliation:
Department of Cognitive Science, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
Christelle Maillart
Affiliation:
Department of Cognitive Science, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
Nicolas Stefaniak
Affiliation:
CLEA, Department of Psychology, University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Reims, France
Caroline Lejeune
Affiliation:
Department of Cognitive Science, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
Lise Desmottes
Affiliation:
Department of Cognitive Science, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
Thierry Meulemans
Affiliation:
Department of Cognitive Science, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to: Audrey Gabriel, Department of Cognitive Science, University of Liège, B38, Rue de l'Aunaie, 30, 4000 Liège - Belgium. E-mail: audrey.gabriel@ulg.ac.be
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Abstract

According to the procedural deficit hypothesis (PDH), abnormal development in the procedural memory system could account for the language deficits observed in specific language impairment (SLI). Recent studies have supported this hypothesis by using a serial reaction time (SRT) task, during which a slower learning rate is observed in children with SLI compared to controls. Recently, we obtained contrasting results, demonstrating that children with SLI were able to learn a sequence as quickly and as accurately as controls. These discrepancies could be related to differences in the statistical structure of the SRT sequence between these studies. The aim of this study was to further assess, in a group of 21 children with SLI, the PDH with second-order conditional sequences, which are more difficult to learn than those used in previous studies. Our results show that children with SLI had impaired procedural memory, as evidenced by both longer reaction times and no sign of sequence-specific learning in comparison with typically developing controls. These results are consistent with the PDH proposed by Ullman and Pierpont (2005) and suggest that procedural sequence-learning in SLI children depends on the complexity of the to-be-learned sequence. (JINS, 2013, 19, 1–8)

Keywords

Language development disordersChild languageSerial learningMotor skillsReaction time taskstatistical structure
Type
Research Articles
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 19 , Issue 3 , March 2013 , pp. 264 - 271
Copyright
Copyright © The International Neuropsychological Society 2012

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