The process of explanation as defined by the covering law model of science contains stringent criteria which often cannot be met by communication scientists. An alternative model, less powerful but more obtainable--the system paradigm--should be adopted. Four types of explanation provide a context for a discussion of the system paradigm…

The book represents oral communication as a wide spectrum of speech events ranging from daily perfunctory comments to highly structured, formal speeches. The introductory chapter summarizes various approaches to the study of the communication process. The subsequent chapters present: (1) elements of communication language structure, language…

Evaluated with 14 dyslexic and 14 normal boys (all 6-12 years old) was the relationship between slow speech-motor encoding to the transfer of information from short-term to long-term memory. (Author/DB)

Techniques have been developed for teaching severely/profoundly retarded children to comprehend the names of everyday objects. (PHR)

The study involved a comparison of the ability of the Northwestern Syntax Screening Test and the Concrete Objects Test to measure receptive and expressive language skills in 30 trainable mentally retarded children. ( Author/ PHR)

Forms L and M of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test were administered to severely hearing-impaired 4- to 14-year-olds (N=102) to obtain test norms for hearing-impaired children. Mean scores for these subjects were lower than those of normally-hearing peers, illustrating differences of rates of vocabulary acquisition between hearing-impaired and…

A study of 45 hearing-impaired students (ages 10 to 19) investigated their understanding of English verb-particle combinations of varying syntactic and semantic difficulty. Results suggest an order of difficulty in learning. Idioms were found to be more difficult than literal meanings with little improvement over the age range of the subjects.…

Comparison of the Picture Vocabulary subtest of the Test of Language Development--Primary (TOLD-P-PV) and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test--Revised (PPVT-R) with first- through third-graders (N=48) revealed a strong correlation between the two receptive vocabulary measures. (CB)

Fifteen 1-year-olds without otitis media were compared to 12 babies who were otitis positive. No significant differences were detected on the Bayley Scales of Infant Development or the Sequenced Inventory of Communication Development (SICD) Receptive scale. However, the otitis-positive group exhibited lower SICD Expressive scores than the…

The study examined whether differences existed between experimental and control groups in maternal language and children's receptive language five years after a home-based intervention program. Mothers were interviewed and asked to tell stories to their children. The Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test was administered to the children, with the…

Efficacy of individualized training using a distinctive feature model of therapy was evaluated with 75 hearing-impaired postsecondary students. Significant improvements in vowel, word and sentence production, and word and sentence perception were observed. (Author/DB)

Two experiments showed that: 5- and 6-year-old listeners have difficulties with spatial reference if it includes "left" and "right"; and 7-year-olds understand this limitation on the comprehension skill of younger children and make appropriate allowances by using more landmarks instead. (CB)

Considers the nature of receptive language proficiency, the nature of performance on language tests, and possible improvements in receptive language testing. Emphasizes how testing of reading comprehension and testing of listening comprehension raise similar concerns which should be addressed in the design of receptive language tests. (SED)