Cognitive predictors of language abilities in primary school children: A cascaded developmental view

• Published in: Journal of child language Vol. 50; no. 2; p. 417
• Main Authors: Acha, Joana, Agirregoikoa, Ainhize, Barreto-Zarza, Florencia, Arranz-Freijo, Enrique B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 01-03-2023
• Subjects: Aptitude; Child; Cognition; Humans; Language Development; Linguistics; Memory, Short-Term; Schools; phonological skills; language development; sentence processing; processing speed
• ISSN: 1469-7602
• DOI: 10.1017/S0305000921000908

This study investigated the longitudinal relationship between children's domain-general cognitive constraints underlying phonological and sentence processing development in a big sample of typically developing children. 104 children were tested on non-linguistic processing speed, phonological skills (phonological short term memory, phonological knowledge, phonological working memory), and sentence processing abilities (sentence repetition and receptive grammar) in 1
grade (aged 6 to 6.5) and one year later. A cross-lagged structural equation model showed that non-linguistic processing speed was a concurrent predictor of phonological skills, and that phonology had a powerful effect on the child's sentence processing abilities concurrently and longitudinally, providing clear evidence for the role of domain-general processes in the developmental pathway of language. These findings support a cascaded cognitive view of language development and pose important challenges for evaluation and intervention strategies in childhood.