Assessing Semantic Development Through an Object Description Task

[摘要] For the purpose of assessing semantic developmentin kindergarten-age children, an object description taskutilizing specific probe questions was constructed. Testadministration procedures included both a spontaneousformat and a probe format for each child.Subjects consistedof 28 children between the ages of 5-4 and 6-5,with a mean age of 5-10. Responses were recorded utilizinga fifteen unit categorical system. Data analyses revealedthe presence of statistically significant differencesamong the frequencies with which responses were given foreach of the fifteen categories. Differences in the numberof responses given for each of the six test objects werealso significantly different. A comparison of descriptionsgiven for a novel object with those given for familiarobjects also yielded statistically significant differences.Interpretations of these findings and their clinicalimplications are discussed.

[发布机构] University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point