Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

M Saxton

Publications and source records attributed to M Saxton.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

Linguistic Relativity: The Case of Place Value in Multi-Digit Numbers

Differences between languages have been implicated recently in explanations of the cross-cultural disparities observed in children's mathematical performance on place value tasks (e.g., Miura, Okamaoto, Kim, Chang, Steere & Fayol, 1994). Children's understanding of place value was investigated here with 93 English-speaking children and 50 Japanese-speaking children (aged 6 and 7 years). Cubes denoting units and tens were made available to children for producing representations of multi-digit numerals. It was found that subtle shifts in task instructions produced a marked influence on children's performance. In particular, differences between English and Japanese participants disappeared when the use of tens cubes was demonstrated in practice trials. More generally, the findings indicate that the influence of language on the cognitive representation of number is less direct than has previously been suggested. Copyright 1998 Academic Press.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1998

Longer-term effects of corrective input: an experimental approach.

There is growing evidence that corrective input for grammatical errors is widely available to children (Farrar, 1992; Morgan, Bonamo & Travis, 1995). However, controversy still exists concerning the extent to which children can identify and exploit available negative input. In particular, very little is yet known about the longer-term effects of negative input. Performing a time series analysis on observational data, Morgan et al. (1995) conclude that corrective recasts are not related to future improvements in grammaticality. It is argued here, though, that the data sets analysed in this study are inherently ill-suited to the demands of time series analyses. The present study adopts an experimental approach in order to compare the effects of negative evidence versus positive input on the acquisition of irregular past tense verb forms. Twenty-six children (mean age 3;10) participated in a within-subjects design over a period of five weeks. It was found that improvements in the grammaticality of child speech were considerably greater in cases where negative evidence had been provided. Moreover, children's intuitions concerning the status of irregular and overregularized forms more closely approximated adult intuitions when corrective input was available.

Child Language↗
PubMed1997

Linguistic influences on children's number concepts: methodological and theoretical considerations.

From observations of how children match numerals to number tokens, previous research has suggested that cognitive representations of numbers vary with the linguistic demarcation of numerals. It is argued here that this paradigm does not always support the idea that language affects number concepts and that children's performance is shaped by other constraints. In Experiment 1, increasing the salience of multiple unit tokens significantly altered the distribution of response strategies in 6 1/2- to 7 1/2-year-old children. In Experiments 2 and 3, the importance of instructions in biasing responses is demonstrated, as 5 1/2- to 7 1/2-year-old children's use of multiunit tokens increased when given an example of their potential use. It appears that the task reflects in part children's interpretations and misinterpretations of task demands. Implications for the role of language in acquiring base-10 number concepts are discussed.

Child↗
PubMed1997

The Contrast Theory of negative input.

Beliefs about whether or not children receive corrective input for grammatical errors depend crucially on how one defines the concept of correction. Arguably, previous conceptualizations do not provide a viable basis for empirical research (Gold, 1967; Brown & Hanlon, 1970; Hirsh-Pasek, Treiman & Schneiderman, 1984). Within the Contrast Theory of negative input, an alternative definition of negative evidence is offered, based on the idea that the unique discourse structure created in the juxtaposition of child error and adult correct form can reveal to the child the contrast, or conflict, between the two forms, and hence provide a basis for rejecting the erroneous form. A within-subjects experimental design was implemented for 36 children (mean age 5;0), in order to compare the immediate effects of negative evidence with those of positive input, on the acquisition of six novel irregular past tense forms. Children reproduced the correct irregular model more often, and persisted with fewer errors, following negative evidence rather than positive input.

Affect↗
PubMed1987

Prenatal screening and discriminatory attitudes about disability.

There is a widespread assumption, with the increased use of reproductive technologies, that prenatal screening reduces the incidence of disability and increases our quality of life. However, because of a growing awareness of the social and political implications of prenatal screening, people have begun to challenge these notions about the quality of life and social value of people with disabilities. This paper presents an overview of the issues surrounding prenatal screening of fetuses with intent to abort on the basis of disability. It raises some of the difficult social, political, and personal questions that women, especially prospective mothers, face regarding these issues, and suggests new perspectives for the decision-making process regarding abortion.

Abortion, Induced↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Society's diseases.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Abortion, Therapeutic↗