JSLHR Papers in Press
Published online August 15, 2012
Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research 2012; doi:10.1044/1092-4388(2012/11-0186)
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Article

Effect of perceptual load on semantic access by speech in children

Susan Jerger
University of Texas at Dallas
Callier Center for Communication Disorders

Markus F. Damian
University of Bristol, UK

Candice Mills
James Bartlett
University of Texas at Dallas

Nancy Tye-Murray
Central Institute for the Deaf of Washington University School of Medicine

Hervé Abdi
University of Texas at Dallas

Address correspondence to: Susan Jerger, Ph.D., School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, 800 W. Campbell Rd, GR4.1, Richardson, TX 75080. Phone -972-883-2268; FAX -972-883-2491; sjerger{at}utdallas.edu.

Purpose: To examine whether semantic access by speech requires attention in children.

Method: Children (N = 200) named pictures and ignored distractors on a cross-modal (distractors: auditory-no face) or multi-modal (distractors: auditory-static face and audiovisual-dynamic face) picture word task. The cross-modal had a low load, and the multi-modal had a high load [i.e., respectively naming pictures displayed 1) on a blank screen vs 2) below the talker's face on his T-shirt]. Semantic content of distractors was manipulated to be related vs unrelated to picture (e.g., picture dog with distractors bear vs cheese). Lavie's (2005) perceptual load model proposes that semantic access is independent of capacity limited attentional resources if irrelevant semantic-content manipulation influences naming times on both tasks despite variations in loads but dependent on attentional resources exhausted by higher load task if irrelevant content influences naming only on cross-modal (low load).

Results: Irrelevant semantic content affected performance for both tasks in 6- to 9-year-olds, but only on cross-modal in 4–5-year-olds. The addition of visual speech did not influence results on the multi-modal task.

Conclusion: Younger and older children differ in dependence on attentional resources for semantic access by speech.

KEY WORDS: Perceptual Load, Semantic Access, Speech, Children, Semantic Interference, Cross-Modal Picture Word Task, Multi-Modal Picture Word Task, Audiovisual Speech, Development, Lipreading


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