Child Language Disorders III: Exam 1

what percent of DLD students go on to a 4 year college?

a) 5%

b) 10%

c) 25%

d) 50%

b) 10%

Which of the following best predicts academic success?

a) Narrative retell ability

b) Reading comprehension

c) Processing speed

d) Working memory span

b) Reading comprehension

Which factor is NOT associated with long-term poor outcomes in DLD?

a) Low graduation rates

b) Employment in low-skill jobs

c) High rates of advanced degrees

d) Lower rates of 4-year college attendance

c) High rates of advanced degrees

Humans are considered limited-capacity processors because:

a) We have infinite working memory

b) We can only process a finite amount of input/output at a time

c) Language is processed separately from cognition

d) Syntax develops independently of memory

b) We can only process a finite amount of input/output at a time

When language demands exceed cognitive capacity, what occurs?

a) Faster automatic processing

b) Language learning and performance breakdowns

c) Enhanced declarative memory

d) Improved attention switching

b) Language learning and performance breakdowns

A child with DLD who shows difficulty switching attention and maintaining WM load is struggling most with:

a) Central Executive

b) Declarative memory

c) Episodic memory

d) Long-term visual memory

a) Central Executive

Which of the following is NOT a core assumption of connectionism?

a) Knowledge is represented in distributed neural networks

b) Activation spreads across nodes automatically

c) Grammar categories are innate and pre-specified

d) Learning involves statistical regularities in input

c) Grammar categories are innate and pre-specified

Why is chunking considered essential for working memory and language?

a) It reduces information into larger, manageable units

b) It eliminates the need for syntax

c) It slows processing for deeper comprehension

d) It separates memory from language

a) It reduces information into larger, manageable units

In connectionist learning, multiword templates stored in procedural memory allow for:

a) Repetition without meaning

b) Faster predictive processing

c) Increased reliance on declarative memory

d) Complete elimination of syntax

b) Faster predictive processing

Which theory suggests language is learned through reward and reinforcement?

a) Connectionist

b) Generative Grammar

c) Stimulus-Response (Behaviorist)

d) Statistical Learning

c) Stimulus-Response (Behaviorist)

Which statement reflects the connectionist perspective on syntax learning?

a) Children learn innate categories like N, V, P automatically.

b) Grammar rules unfold naturally regardless of input.

c) Children learn word order and morphology through tracking statistical patterns.

d) Syntax is independent of cognitive systems like attention and memory.

c) Children learn word order and morphology through tracking statistical patterns.

Why do children with DLD struggle more with non-canonical sentences (e.g., passives, object relatives)?

a) They lack declarative vocabulary knowledge

b) Their working memory overflows and statistical learning is weak

c) They are less motivated to learn complex structures

d) Pragmatics prevents them from understanding roles

b) Their working memory overflows and statistical learning is weak

In assessment, why is a cognitive-task analysis important?

a) To ensure syntax alone is measured

b) To tease apart language knowledge from cognitive load

c) To ignore individual variation in memory

d) To reduce reliance on evidence-based practice

b) To tease apart language knowledge from cognitive load

A student with strong vocabulary but weak syntax and WM likely has:

a) Typical development

b) Developmental Language Disorder

c) ADHD only

d) Hearing impairment

b) Developmental Language Disorder

During therapy, minimizing cognitive load means:

a) Using complex directions to challenge attention

b) Embedding targets in a favorable learning environment

c) Increasing task demands beyond processing speed

d) Ignoring memory and attention resources

b) Embedding targets in a favorable learning environment

Which type of memory supports lexical-semantic knowledge?

a) Procedural memory

b) Declarative memory

c) Working memory only

d) Sensory memory

b) Declarative memory

Which type of memory supports syntax learning?

a) Procedural memory

b) Declarative memory

c) Semantic memory

d) Episodic memory

a) Procedural memory

Which of the following is a relative strength in older students with DLD?

a) Narrative coherence

b) Processing speed

c) Lexical knowledge and pragmatics

d) Sentence recall

c) Lexical knowledge and pragmatics

Which intervention strategy is most supported by the connectionist model?

a) Massed exposure to rich input and retrieval practice

b) Focus on IQ-based cutoffs

c) Teaching isolated vocabulary lists only

d) Ignoring attention and memory deficits

a) Massed exposure to rich input and retrieval practice

A child is given many repetitions of a single syntactic structure in therapy to promote implicit statistical learning. This approach is:

a) Connectionist-based

b) Behaviorist-based

c) Generative grammar-based

d) Non-linguistic therapy

a) Connectionist-based

what is the primary treatment implication of the connectionist-psycholinguistic framework for students with DLD?

a) enhance language knowledge and processing automatically to reduce cognitive load demands

b) focus on teaching abstract grammatical rules through explicit metalinguistic instruction

c) use reward-based behavioral interventions to increase motivation for language learning tasks

d) provide intensive attention training to improve executive function skills before language intervention

a) enhance language knowledge and processing automatically to reduce cognitive load demands

what is the primary relationship between attention and language performance in students with DLD?

a) attention problems in DLD are completely separate from their language learning difficulties

b) students with DLD have better attention skills than typically developing peers due to compensation

c) language processing in DLD requires extensive controlled processing, leaving fewer attention resources for other tasks

d) students with DLD always have formal ADHD diagnoses that worsen their language difficulties

c) language processing in DLD requires extensive controlled processing, leaving fewer attention resources for other tasks

What is the most critical factor limiting working memory capacity in students with DLD?

a) deficient central executive functioning that impairs coordination of multiple processes

b) slower processing speed that delays information transfer between memory systems

c) poor chunking abilities due to weak language knowledge stored in long term memory

d) reduced sustained attention abilities that prevent focus on language tasks over time

c) poor chunking abilities due to weak language knowledge stored in long term memory

which memory system is primarily impaired in students with DLD, and what are the consequences?

a) procedural memory is impaired, resulting in poor statistical learning and syntactic development.

b) declarative memory is impaired, leading to difficulties learning vocabulary and word meanings

c) both declarative and procedural memory are equally impaired, resulting in global language deficits

d) short term memory is impaired while long term memory remains completely intact

a) procedural memory is impaired, resulting in poor statistical learning and syntactic development.

According to the connectionist perspective, how is syntactic knowledge primarily acquired?

a) by memorizing abstract grammatical rules and syntactic categories through explicit instruction

b) by learning reward-based stimulus-response associations between words and grammatical structures

c) through discovering statistical regularities and distributional patterns in language input via implicit learning

d) through innate language modules that automatically unfold with minimal environmental input

c) through discovering statistical regularities and distributional patterns in language input via implicit learning

What is the primary function of chunking in language processing according to the Chunk-and-Pass Model?

a) to consolidate many items into larger cohesive units

b) to separate different types of linguistic information

c)to eliminate unnecessary grammatical elements

d) to slow down processing for better accuracy

a) to consolidate many items into larger cohesive units

What is the key limitation of working memory capacity in the Embedded Processes Model?

a) limited by processing speed only

b) limited to 1 item in central storage plus 2-3 in peripheral

c) limited to 10 seconds of storage time

d) limited to 7+ or -2 items total

b) limited to 1 item in central storage plus 2-3 in peripheral

what happens to the brain after sustained high cognitive effort over several hours?

a) glutamate accumulation and poor decision making

b) improved working memory and attention capacity

c) enhanced neural connectivity and faster processing

d) increased dopamine production and better decisions

a) glutamate accumulation and poor decision making

what is the key difference between automatic and controlled processing in attention allocation?

a) automatic requires little attention, controlled varies by complexity.

b) automatic requires more resources than controlled.

c) controlled processing is faster than automatic.

d) both require equal amounts of attention resources.

a) automatic requires little attention, controlled varies by complexity.

what is the relationship between ADHD diagnosis and language difficulties in students with DLD?

a) ADHD always makes DLD language difficulties worse

b) DLD-ADHD students show no greater language deficits than DLD-only students

c) DLD-ADHD students show greater deficits than DLD-only students

d) ADHD completely masks DLD language problems

b) DLD-ADHD students show no greater language deficits than DLD-only students

what distinguishes canonical from non-canonical sentence structures in terms of comprehension difficulty?

a) canonical contain more complex vocabulary than non-canonical

b) canonical require more working memory than non-canonical

c) canonical follow typical word order, non-canonical do not

d) canonical sentences are always longer than non-canonical

c) canonical follow typical word order, non-canonical do not

What is the primary treatment recommendation for improving outcomes in students with DLD?

a) enhance language knowledge and processing automaticity

b) Increase cognitive load to build mental strength

c) emphasize social skills training over language skills

d) focus primarily on behavioral modification techniques

a) enhance language knowledge and processing automaticity

What percent of CELF-4 scores is accounted for by memory abilities in both TD and DLD students?

a) TD: 85%; DLD: 70%

b) TD: 100%; DLD: 85%

c) TD: 75%; DLD: 60%

d) TD: 96%; DLD: 93%

d) TD: 96%; DLD: 93%

According to the Behavioral Activation and Inhibition Systems model, what controls basic attention?

a) two neural network systems in frontal lobes

b) multiple systems across the entire brain

c) brainstem reticular activating system only

d) single neural network in temporal lobes

a) two neural network systems in frontal lobes

What are the four components of attention from a neuropsychological perspective?

a) visual, auditory, tactile, and motor attention

b) focus, sustain, divide, and switch attention

c) arousal, selective, sustained, and attention shifting

d) encoding, storage, retrival, and processing

c) arousal, selective, sustained, and attention shifting

what is the strongest predictor of poor high school outcomes in students with DLD history?

a) expressive language scores on CELF-4

b) reading comprehension abilities

c) nonverbal IQ at age of 7

d) mother's education level

c) nonverbal IQ at age of 7

what percentage of the population is affected by DLD?

a) 15-20% of kids and adults

b) 7-13% of kids and adults

c) 3-5% of kids and adults

d) 20-25% of kids and adults

b) 7-13% of kids and adults

according to the Procedural Deficit Hypothesis, what type of learning is primarily impaired in DLD?

a) social pragmatic communication skills

b) declarative memory word meanings

c) visual-spatial processing abilities

d) implicit statistical pattern learning

d) implicit statistical pattern learning

what is the primary etiology of DLD?

a) genetic predisposition with complex genotype

b) hearing loss critical language learning period

c) brain damage from injury or stroke

d) environmental poverty and lack of language exposure

a) genetic predisposition with complex genotype

according to the connectionist perspective, what drives syntactic learning in typical development?

a) direct instruction and explicit rule teaching

b) imitation and reinforcement from caregivers

c) statistical learning of distributional patterns in input

d) innate universal grammar principles that unfold naturally

c) statistical learning of distributional patterns in input

what is the recommend duration for language learning activities with students who have DLD?

a) variable length depending on student interest

b) approximately 20 minutes to maintain optimal attention

c) 45-60 minutes to ensure adequate practice

d) 10 minutes or less to prevent fatigue

b) approximately 20 minutes to maintain optimal attention

what is the relationship between language knowledge and working memory in sentence comprehension?

a) language knowledge reduces working memory demands through chunking

b) working memory always overrides language knowledge

c) they operate completely independently of each other

d) language knowledge increase working memory capacity directly

a) language knowledge reduces working memory demands through chunking