语音意识、语素意识和快速命名在儿童言语发展中的作用

以130名幼儿园小、中、大班儿童为研究对象,通过分层回归,系统比较了语音意识、语素意识和快速命名三种认知技能在学前儿童口语词汇、汉字识别和阅读理解等言语能力发展中的作用和相对重要性,结果发现:(1)学前儿童的各项能力随着年龄的增加而显著提高;(2)除了年龄因素之外,语音意识和语素意识是解释口语词汇的重要变量;(3)在控制了年龄和口语词汇量之后,语音意识、语素意识和快速命名能力都分别对汉字识别成绩具有独立的预测作用;(4)在控制了年龄、口语词汇量、汉字识别和其他两种认知技能之后,只有语素意识仍然能够独立预测阅读理解成绩,表明语素意识对于汉语阅读能力的发展具有独特的作用.     

汉语语音型阅读障碍儿童的范畴知觉技能

选取汉语中存在语音意识缺陷的阅读障碍儿童、正常儿童和成人各25名为被试,考察了语音型阅读障碍儿童是否存在言语知觉缺陷.言语知觉任务采用范畴知觉范式,要求被试识别合成或自然的语音范畴连续体.结果发现语音型阅读障碍儿童识别合成和自然的刺激都表现出范畴知觉缺陷,对范畴内刺激的识别缺少一致性;个体分析表明大部分语音型阅读障碍儿童有较低的识别函数斜率;回归分析表明言语知觉技能通过语音意识的中介作用于阅读能力的发展.     

语素意识、语音意识和快速命名在学前儿童言语能力发展中的预测作用:来自追踪研究的证据*

为探讨语素意识、语音意识和快速命名三种认知技能对汉语儿童口语词汇、汉字识别和阅读理解等言语能力发展的预测作用,本研究对74名学前儿童进行了一年半的追踪测查,结果发现:(1) 学前儿童的各项认知技能和言语能力随时间均有显著提高;(2)在控制了因变量的自回归效应和其他两种认知技能后,语音意识对一年半后的口语词汇成绩仍有独特的解释作用,快速命名能预测一年半后的汉字识别成绩,而语素意识是解释一年半后儿童汉字识别和阅读理解能力发展的重要变量。     

语音训练对幼儿英语语音意识和字母知识的促进

语音意识是影响英语阅读能力的关键因素。本研究结合语音教学法的思想,采用自编的教学材料和语音游戏,通过字母故事和语音训练游戏,训练儿童的语音意识。研究者在北京市一所普通幼儿园选取了无英语学习经验的3岁左右中国幼儿63名,随机分为实验组和控制组,经过8周的语音教学实验,发现接受语音教学的实验组儿童在音节意识、音韵意识、音素意识和字母识别等方面较接受普通英语教学的控制组都有显著提高。结果表明早期有针对性的语音训练可能能够更快地提高幼儿的语音意识。     

3-12岁儿童对汉语声、韵、调的意识与早期阅读的关系:基于元分析的证据

众多实证研究指出英语语音意识是鉴别儿童早期阅读能力(字词解码)的重要指标,然而跨语言研究对语音意识在阅读发展中的普适功能提出了质疑。从上世纪90年代至今,汉语语音意识在儿童早期阅读发展中的角色依然是个有争议的议题,因此本文采用元分析范式整合过往实证文献,并从测试任务的语音要素(音调、音节、声韵、音素)与操纵范式(检、删、隔、合等)解释导致语音意识与汉语字词阅读关系不一致的原因。本文共筛选出发表于1995年至2015年的59篇研究,提取了94个独立样本12514人,涵盖3-12岁不同年龄阶段的儿童。结果显示:(1)语音意识与汉语字词阅读呈现了显著的中度相关,且不因被试年龄和字词阅读任务类型而改变;(2)检、删两种范式下的语音意识的预测效应量远大于隔音和合音范式;(3)汉语语音意识的语音要素是一个重要的调节变量,音调辨析的预测效应量最大,其次是音节、声韵和音素,呈现了随语音单位变小而效应量变小的趋势,一定程度上亦验证了心理语言纹理假说的预期。     

动态视觉加工与儿童汉字阅读

使用视觉阈限测验、图片命名、字形相似性判断实验和语音意识等测验 ,考察了小学五年级儿童视觉加工技能与汉字阅读之间的关系。结果发现 :动态视觉加工与图片命名错误率、字形判断反应时和错误率、语音意识均有显著相关 ,静态视觉加工只与图片命名错误率相关显著 ;控制识字量后的偏相关分析显示 ,动态视觉加工与其他变量的相关关系不变 ,静态视觉加工与图片命名错误率的相关不再显著 ;回归分析发现动态视觉加工在识字量和语音意识的影响控制后 ,能够分别解释阅读流畅性、字形判断反应时和图片命名错误率 7%、2 5 %和 5 6 %的变化 ;语音意识能够解释识字量和阅读流畅性 9%和 10 %的变化 ;对差读者的动态视觉加工和语音意识分析发现 ,儿童在这两种测验上的个体差异很大。上述结果表明 ,阅读过程受基本知觉技能影响 ,动态视觉加工作用于汉字阅读的特定过程。     

语音意识的不同成分在汉语儿童英语阅读学习中的作用

研究一测查了74名小学三、五年级儿童辨别、删除汉语和英语音节、首音-韵脚、音位等不同语音成分的能力以及英语单词阅读,考察语音意识不同成分与英语阅读学习的关系及母语语音意识的作用途径.研究二测查了83名英语阅读较差和73名英语阅读一般及以上儿童的英语语音删除和单词认读能力,考察阅读水平对于语音意识作用的调节效应.结果表明:(1)英语首音-韵脚意识对英语阅读具有显著的独立贡献;(2)汉语首音-韵脚意识和声调意识分别对英语单词认读和假词拼读具有显著的独立贡献,二者通过英语首音-韵脚意识的中介发挥作用;(3)阅读水平具有显著的调节作用.首音-韵脚意识是正常儿童阅读的有效预测变量,而音节意识是低水平儿童阅读的有效预测变量.上述结果与有关语音意识各成分在英语为母语儿童阅读学习中作用的研究结果不同,提示第二语言的学习具有特殊性,母语经验影响着个体第二语言学习的过程.     

小学儿童汉字阅读特点初探

该研究运用命名任务、通过两个实验探查了小学儿童汉字阅读的发展特点。实验一发现,小学7岁、8岁、9岁儿童在汉字阅读中受不同汉字结构类型的影响。在笔画数没有显著差异的情况下,独体字的阅读比合体字快,而合体字中上下结构和左右结构类型之间没有差异,而且独体字语音提取的优势从7岁儿童开始就具有了,这种优势稳定地发展下去。实验二在实验一的基础上进一步考察了7岁、9岁、11岁儿童汉字形声字阅读中声旁对整字发音的影响,结果发现,声旁与整字发音一致的形声字阅读快于声旁与整字发音不一致的形声字的阅读,这种汉字阅读中的规则效应从7岁儿童就出现了,而且,稳定地发展下去。     

汉语语音范畴性知觉及其发展

范畴性是言语知觉的一个显著特征,长期以来一直受到研究者的普遍关注。但汉语不同语音特征的范畴性知觉特点及其发展模式迄今为止还很少有研究涉及。本研究利用语音合成的方法分别改变辅音的送气/不送气特征和声调的基频曲线,生成语音刺激连续体,采用范畴性知觉的经典研究范式探讨了汉语正常成人被试嗓音启动时间（Voice onset time,VOT）和声调范畴性知觉的特点及不同年龄儿童的发展模式。研究结果表明：（1）成人被试对VOT和声调的知觉是范畴性的;（2）对于汉语声调特征,6岁儿童已经具有类似成人的范畴性知觉能力;而在VOT这一维度上,范畴知觉能力随着年龄发展不断精细化,但7岁儿童也尚未达到成年人的敏感程度,说明汉语VOT和声调这两个不同的语音特征经历了不同的发展模式。     

语素意识在儿童汉语阅读中的作用

文章考察了语音意识、语素意识和命名速度在儿童汉语阅读中的作用。结果发现：语素意识和命名速度对汉字命名组词具有显著的预测作用;而语素意识和语音意识对同音字识别具有显著的预测作用。语素意识是唯一显著预测两种不同阅读任务的认知变量。对阅读障碍儿童所存在的缺陷进行分析,结果发现：76%的阅读障碍存在语素缺陷;相比之下,分别有43%和41%的阅读障碍存在语音缺陷和命名速度缺陷。结果表明汉语的语素意识在儿童阅读中具有重要作用,语素缺陷有可能成为儿童汉语阅读困难的主要原因。     

学前和小学低段不同识字量儿童的认知能力比较

以193名学前儿童和291名一到三年级小学生为研究对象, 比较了不同年级、不同识字量儿童在语音意识、语素意识、快速命名、视觉技能和正字法意识方面的差异。结果显示, 不同年级、不同识字量儿童分别在语音意识和语素意识的不同层面存在差异, 学前主要表现在音节删除和语素建构任务中, 小学阶段表现在韵母识别、音位删除以及语素判断和语素产生方面;快速命名能力是区分各阶段儿童汉字识别能力的有效指标, 学前儿童的视觉能力与识字量密切相关, 而小学儿童的正字法意识与识字量密切相关。     

Phonological awareness in young Chinese children

Two studies explored the nature of phonological awareness (PA) in Chinese. In Study 1, involving 146 children, awareness of phoneme onset did not differ from chance levels at ages 3-5 years in preschool but increased to 70% correct in first grade, when children first received phonological coding (Pinyin) instruction. Similarly, tone awareness was at better than chance levels from second year kindergarten (age 4), but increased strongly and significantly in first grade to 74% accuracy. In contrast, syllable and rime awareness increased gradually and steadily across ages 3-6 years. Patterns suggest different influences of age and literacy instruction for different PA levels. In Study 2, involving 202 preschoolers, variance in Chinese character recognition was best explained by tasks of syllable awareness, tone awareness, and speeded naming. Findings underscore the unique importance of both tone and syllable for early character acquisition in Chinese children.     

Levels of phonological awareness in three cultures

This study focused on syllable phoneme onset levels of phonological awareness in relation to reading of Chinese and English in kindergarten and first-grade children from Xian (China), Hong Kong, and Toronto, cultures that differ substantially in approaches to reading instruction. English syllable awareness among native Chinese speakers was as good as or better than that among English speakers, indicating that the Chinese language may promote syllable-level awareness in children. Hong Kong children recognized significantly more words in both English and Chinese but were significantly poorer than the Xian children in both syllable and phoneme onset deletion tasks, suggesting that Pinyin training (given in Xian only) may promote phonological awareness even at the syllable level. In both Xian and Hong Kong, measures of syllable awareness consistently predicted Chinese character recognition better than did phoneme onset awareness. In contrast, English word recognition was predicted differently by syllable and phoneme onset awareness across cultures. These results underscore the roles of both language and writing system in understanding levels of phonological awareness.     

不同的拼音教学方式对幼儿拼音水平及汉语语音意识发展的影响

本研究用纵向实验的方法考察了分享阅读(故事教学)和传统教学(字母教学)两种拼音教学方式对幼儿园中班儿童的拼音水平和汉语语音意识发展的影响。研究结果表明:(1)相对于无拼音教学组,两种形式的拼音教学均可以显著提高幼儿的字母知识,但分享阅读拼音教学对幼儿字母知识的促进作用更大。(2)分享阅读的拼音教学可以显著提高幼儿的拼读能力,而传统教学对幼儿的拼读能力基本没有促进。(3)分享阅读的拼音教学对幼儿的首音、韵脚和声调意识的发展有显著的促进作用,对幼儿自然发展起来的音节意识的影响很小;传统教学对幼儿的语音意识基本没有促进。     

Longitudinal relationships between speech perception,phonological skills and reading in children at high‐risk of dyslexia

Speech perception deficits are commonly reported in dyslexia but longitudinal evidence that poor speech perception compromises learning to read is scant. We assessed the hypothesis that phonological skills, specifically phoneme awareness and RAN, mediate the relationship between speech perception and reading. We assessed longitudinal predictive relationships between categorical speech perception, phoneme awareness, RAN, language, attention and reading at ages 5½ and 6½ years in 237 children many of whom were at high risk of reading difficulties. Speech perception at 5½ years correlated with language, attention, phoneme awareness and RAN concurrently and was a predictor of reading at 6½ years. There was no significant indirect effect of speech perception on reading via phoneme awareness, suggesting that its effects are separable from those of phoneme awareness. Children classified with dyslexia at 8 years had poorer speech perception than age‐controls at 5½ years and children with language disorders (with or without dyslexia) had more severe difficulties with both speech perception and attention control. Categorical speech perception tasks tap factors extraneous to perception, including decision‐making skills. Further longitudinal studies are needed to unravel the complex relationships between categorical speech perception tasks and measures of reading and language and attention.     

Categorical speech perception deficits distinguish language and reading impairments in children

We examined categorical speech perception in school‐age children with developmental dyslexia or Specific Language Impairment (SLI), compared to age‐matched and younger controls. Stimuli consisted of synthetic speech tokens in which place of articulation varied from ‘b’ to ‘d’. Children were tested on categorization, categorization in noise, and discrimination. Phonological awareness skills were also assessed to examine whether these correlated with speech perception measures. We observed similarly good baseline categorization rates across all groups; however, when noise was added, the SLI group showed impaired categorization relative to controls, whereas dyslexic children showed an intact profile. The SLI group showed poorer than expected between‐category discrimination rates, whereas this pattern was only marginal in the dyslexic group. Impaired phonological awareness profiles were observed in both the SLI and dyslexic groups; however, correlations between phonological awareness and speech perception scores were not significant. The results of the study suggest that in children with language and reading impairments, there is a significant relationship between receptive language and speech perception, there is at best a weak relationship between reading and speech perception, and indeed the relationship between phonological and speech perception deficits is highly complex.     

Phoneme awareness is a better predictor of early reading skill than onset-rime awareness

We present the results of a short-term longitudinal study. Children in the early stages of learning to read (5 and 6 year olds) were administered three different tasks (deletion, oddity, and detection) tapping awareness of four phonological units (initial phoneme, final phoneme, onset, and rime). Measures of phoneme awareness were the best concurrent and longitudinal predictors of reading skill with onset-rime skills making no additional predictive contribution once phonemic skills were accounted for. The findings are related to recent controversy over the role of large versus small phonological units as predictors of children's reading skills.     

Speech perception in preschoolers at family risk for dyslexia: relations with low-level auditory processing and phonological ability

We tested categorical perception and speech-in-noise perception in a group of five-year-old preschool children genetically at risk for dyslexia, compared to a group of well-matched control children and a group of adults. Both groups of children differed significantly from the adults on all speech measures. Comparing both child groups, the risk group presented a slight but significant deficit in speech-in-noise perception, particularly in the most difficult listening condition. For categorical perception a marginally significant deficit was observed on the discrimination task but not on the identification task. Speech parameters were significantly related to phonological awareness and low-level auditory measures. Results are discussed within the framework of a causal model where low-level auditory problems are hypothesized to result in subtle speech perception problems that might interfere with the development of phonology and reading and spelling ability.