The effect of incremental changes in phonotactic probability and neighborhood density on word learning by preschool children.

Purpose: Phonotactic probability or neighborhood density has predominately been defined through the use of gross distinctions (i.e., low vs.

The effect of homonymy on learning correctly articulated versus misarticulated words.

Purpose: The goal of the current study was to examine the effect of homonymy (learning a second meaning for a known word form vs. learning a novel meaning and novel word form) and articulation accuracy (IN vs. OUT sounds) on word learning by preschool children.

Differentiating the effects of phonotactic probability and neighborhood density on vocabulary comprehension and production: a comparison of preschool children with versus without phonological delays.

Purpose: To differentiate the effect of phonotactic probability from that of neighborhood density on a vocabulary probe administered to preschool children with or without phonological delays.

Method: Twenty preschool children with functional phonological delays and 34 preschool children with typical language development completed a 121-item vocabulary probe in both an expressive and receptive response format. Words on the vocabulary probe orthogonally varied on phonotactic probability and neighborhood density but were matched on age of acquisition, word frequency, word length, semantic set size, concreteness, familiarity, and imagability.

Individual differences in the influence of phonological characteristics on expressive vocabulary development by young children.

The current study attempts to differentiate effects of phonotactic probability (i.e. the likelihood of occurrence of a sound sequence), neighbourhood density (i.

A comparison of homonym and novel word learning: the role of phonotactic probability and word frequency.

This study compares homonym learning to novel word learning by three- to four-year-old children to determine whether homonyms are learned more rapidly or more slowly than novel words. In addition, the role of form characteristics in homonym learning is examined by manipulating phonotactic probability and word frequency. Thirty-two children were exposed to homonyms and novel words in a story with visual support and learning was measured in two tasks: referent identification; picture naming.

Oxidative stress in obstructive sleep apnea.

Study Objectives: To investigate the relationship between the severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and oxidative stress, which plays an important role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease, and to elucidate the factors contributing to this relationship.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Participants: A total of 128 consecutive subjects referred to the sleep laboratory of our hospital for screening or treatment of OSA.

Obstructive sleep apnea and carotid-artery intima-media thickness.

Study Objectives: We investigated whether the carotid-artery intimamedia thickness (IMT) measured by ultrasonography, which is regarded as an indicator of atherosclerosis, was associated with the severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: A sleep laboratory in a general hospital in Japan.