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Response coincidence analysis as evidence for language acquisition strategies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 November 2008

Wm J. Baker*
Affiliation:
University of Alberta
Bruce L. Derwing
Affiliation:
University of Alberta
*
Prof. Wm J. Baker, Centre for Advanced Study in Theoretical Psychology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2E9

Abstract

New analytical techniques were developed for the identification of subject groups based on within-subject patterns of cooccurrences of responses. These “response coincidence analyses” provided an empirical basis for conjectures about stages or strategies in terms of the rules which characterize group performances. The nature of the operative rules was inferred from an analysis of item response similarities within the subject groups. These techniques were applied to a data set originally obtained by Innes (1974) from 120 children (20 at each age from 2 to 7 years), for a study of the acquisition of the English inflectional morphology for pluralization. The results show quite clearly how the pluralization system is acquired and indicate how such data can be used to develop the specification of rules sensitive to psycholinguistic evidence.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1982

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