Degree Name

MA (Master of Arts)

Program

Psychology

Date of Award

8-2013

Committee Chair or Co-Chairs

Wallace Dixon Jr.

Committee Members

Andrea Clements, Kerry Proctor-Williams

Abstract

This study was an investigation of the association between executive functioning (EF) ability and language development in the latter half of the second year. Fifty-five typically developing 18- month-olds were brought into the lab. The elicited imitation with inappropriate object substitution (EIIOS) task was used as a developmentally sensitive measure of EF. Language acquisition was assessed using a real-time word learning task as well as a parent report measure of vocabulary size (MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory: Words and Sentences Version). Contrary to expectations, very few statistically significant associations were found between the EF measure and either language measure. Despite these findings there is still a need for research to identify an appropriate measure of EF in the latter half of the second year.

Document Type

Thesis - unrestricted

Copyright

Copyright by the authors.

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