ERIC Number: EJ1436568
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024-Aug
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1092-4388
EISSN: EISSN-1558-9102
Available Date: N/A
Introducing the Intra-Individual Variability Hypothesis in Explaining Individual Differences in Language Development
Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, v67 n8 p2698-2707 2024
Purpose: Response times (RTs) are commonly used in studying language acquisition. However, previous research utilizing RT in the context of language has largely overlooked the intra-individual variability (IIV) of RTs, which could hold significant information about the processes underlying language acquisition. Method: We explored the association between language abilities and RT variability in visuomotor tasks using two data sets from previously published studies. The participants were 7- to 10-year-old children (n = 77). Results: Our results suggest that increased variability in RTs is associated with weaker language abilities. Specifically, this within-participant variability in visuomotor RTs, especially the proportion of unusually slow responses, predicted language abilities better than mean RTs, a factor often linked to language skills in past research. Conclusions: Based on our findings, we introduce the IIV hypothesis in explaining individual differences in language development. According to our hypothesis, inconsistency in the timing of cognitive processes, reflected by increased IIV in RTs, degrades learning different aspects of language, and results in individual differences in language abilities. Future studies should further examine the relationship between IIV and language abilities, and test the extent to which the possible relationship is causal.
Descriptors: Reaction Time, Language Skills, Children, Language Acquisition, Individual Differences, Cognitive Processes, Foreign Countries, Visual Stimuli
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Finland
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A