Verbal Analogical Reasoning in Children With Language-Learning Disabilities

Abstract

This study was designed to explore the influences of both cognitive and linguistic abilities on verbal analogy completion. School-age children classified as language-learning disabled were administered five types of verbal analogies: synonyms, antonyms, linear order, category membership, and functional relationship. The performance of the children with language-learning disabilities was compared with one group of normally developing children matched for mental age and another group matched for language age. Results indicated that the group matched for mental age performed better than the other two groups on all types of analogies. Although they had significantly higher mental ages, the children with language-learning disabilities did no better than the language-matched group on any analogy type except antonyms.

Analogical reasoning in children with specific language impairment

“…Despite its putative role in the development of linguistic competence (Bybee, 1995(Bybee, , 2010Bybee & Slobin, 1982;Gentner & Namy, 2006;Tomasello, 2003), analogical reasoning has received little systematic investigation in children with SLI (see Johnston & Smith, 1989;Kamhi, Gentry, Mauer, & Gholson, 1990;Masterson, 1995;Masterson, Evans and Aloia, 1993;Nippold, Erskine, & Freed, 1988). Studies which have investigated analogical reasoning in children with SLI typically differentiate three types of analogical reasoning tasks: (1) perceptual proportional analogical reasoning tasks, (2) verbal proportional analogical reasoning tasks and (3) functional analogical reasoning tasks.…”

“…However, when differences between scores on a non-verbal intelligence scale were controlled, the group effect disappeared, suggesting that, in these tasks, non-verbal capacities underlie both a verbal proportional analogical reasoning task and a functional analogical reasoning task. Masterson et al (1993) investigated the influence of cognitive and linguistic abilities on the performance of 14 children with language learning disabilities using five types of verbal analogies. In these tasks, utterances were presented to the children who had to choose the response between three solutions.…”

A functional-analytic model of analogy using the Relational Evaluation Procedure

“…Having done so, subsequent research may now employ this procedure in order to examine the effects of other variables on this behavioral class. For example, one direction for future study could involve developing programs for establishing the relating of relations when this performance is found to be absent in the behavioral repertoires of particular populations (Alexander, White, Haensly, & Crimmins-Jeanes, 1987;Alexander, Willson, White, & Fuqua, 1987;Masterson, Evans, & Aloia, 1993).…”

Analogical mapping across modalities in children with specific language impairment (SLI)

“…Until now, most of the studies that have addressed analogical reasoning in children with SLI sought to explore the influence of cognitive and linguistic abilities on analogical reasoning tasks (Masterson, Evans, & Aloia, 1993;Nippold, Erskine, & Freed, 1988).…”

“…However the group effect disappeared when the data were reanalyzed by controlling for nonverbal intelligence score, suggesting that nonverbal abilities underlie these analogical reasoning tasks. Masterson et al (1993) investigated the influence of cognitive and linguistic abilities on the performance of children with SLI using five types of verbal analogical reasoning tasks: synonyms (e.g., easy:simple::shut:? ); antonyms (e.g., cool:warm::black:?…”