Word Learning in Bilingual Typical and Late Talking Children: The Role of Meaning and Input

Conditions

• Bilingualism
• Late Talkers
• Network Science
• Vocabulary Acquisition

Eligibility Criteria

Sex

ALL

Age

24 Months - 30 Months

Healthy Volunteers

Accepted

Interventions

• Large Semantic Category Condition — BEHAVIORAL
  Participants will learn new words that refer to objects that belong to a category from which toddlers know many words (i.e., animals). They will learn new animal words in two different language conditions: a single language context and a dual language context. In the single language context, they will learn new English-like words in a learning environment where they only hear one language (i.e., English). In the dual language context, they will learn new English-like and Spanish-like words in a learning environment where they only hear both languages. Participants and their parents will also read books about animals and play with animal toy sets.
• Small Semantic Category Condition — BEHAVIORAL
  Participants will learn new words that refer to objects that belong to a category from which toddlers know few words (i.e., clothing). They will learn new clothing words in two different language conditions: a single language context and a dual language context. In the single language context, they will learn new English-like words in a learning environment where they only hear one language (i.e., English). In the dual language context, they will learn new English-like and Spanish-like words in a learning environment where they only hear both languages. Participants and their parents will also read books about clothes and play with toy sets that include clothing.

Study Details

The goal of this clinical trial is to understand how different types of word categories, along with the language children hear from their parents, support bilingual toddlers' word learning. This study will address two main questions: (1) How are the words toddlers know related to the words their parents use? and (2) How does what toddlers already know help them learn new words in two languages? The investigators will compare bilingual toddlers with typical development to those with language delay to determine whether they learn new words in similar ways. Children's vocabulary knowledge will be assessed using standardized parent-report checklists. To examine how different types of categories support learning, the study will focus on two early-acquired categories: animals and clothing. The investigators will compare what parents report about their children's vocabulary with how children learn new words within each category. To understand the role of parent input, children and their parents will engage in shared book reading and play activities using materials from one of the target categories. Parent-child interactions will be video recorded. Children will also complete an eye-tracking task in which they learn new words in two languages within the same category.

Key Dates

Start date

Dec 16, 2025

Status verified

May 2026

Primary completion

Jul 31, 2028

Completion

Jul 31, 2029

Study Design

Enrollment

80 participants (estimated)

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Arms

• Experimental: Toddlers with typical language development
  Children who have typical vocabulary sizes and do not have a history of hearing or vision impairment, neurodevelopmental disorders, or neurological or cognitive delays/disorders.
• Experimental: Toddlers with language delay
  Children whose vocabulary size is atypically small for their age in the absence of hearing impairment, neurodevelopmental disorders, or other cognitive delays.

Primary Outcome Measure

Word learning [ Time Frame: Day 1 ]

Locations (1)

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