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PubMed1999

Prediction of Boston Naming Test performance from vocabulary scores: preliminary guidelines for interpretation.

Patients with limited education or underdeveloped vocabulary skills may perform below the normal range on the Boston Naming Test when compared to the original published norms, even in the absence of brain damage. To reduce the frequency of false positive dysnomic classifications of patients with limited vocabulary skills, we developed a score adjustment to account for the significant shared variance between scores on this test and the WAIS-R Vocabulary subtest. Vocabulary significantly predicted performance on the Boston Naming Test (r = .65, p < .0001) in a sample of 62 outpatients who had no objective evidence of brain damage. Linear regression was used to derive expected performance on the Boston Naming Test from Vocabulary scaled scores. Relative to the original published norms, scores based on the Vocabulary subtest cut-offs produced fewer false positives and more accurately classified group membership for patients with and without objectively verified brain damage. These performance predictions are offered as tentative guidelines to assist clinicians in evaluating the presence of naming deficits by controlling for the variance associated with knowledge of vocabulary.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

Barriers to evaluation of clinical vocabularies.

BACKGROUND: The importance of standard vocabularies for representing clinical data is widely accepted. The selection of suitable vocabularies for a given task relies upon criteria for systematically differentiating vocabularies. However, methods and measures for comparing vocabularies are only now emerging. Substantial barriers inhibit progress in the development of these measures. METHOD: As part of a larger project, the authors are developing quantitative measures for characteristics of controlled vocabulary as identified in the literature. RESULTS: Seven barriers have been identified that inhibit the development of quantitative measures of the characteristics of controlled vocabularies: 1) application dependence; 2) empirical v. independent assessment; 3) dichotomous v. continuous measures of characteristics; 4) poor definition of characteristics; 5) number of characteristics; 6) multiple levels of significance of characteristics; and 7) interdependence of characteristics. CONCLUSION: Progress toward quantitative assessment of clinical vocabularies is dependent upon overcoming barriers to the development of appropriate measures. Such progress requires innovative solutions and collaboration among investigators.

Evaluation Studies as Topic↗

PubMed1997

Development of a change model for a controlled medical vocabulary.

Managing change in controlled medical vocabularies is labor intensive and costly, but change is inevitable if vocabularies are to be kept up to date. The changes that are appropriate for a controlled medical vocabulary depend on the data stored for that vocabulary, and those data in turn depend on the needs of users. The set of change operations is the change model; the data stored about concepts comprise the concept model. Because the change model depends directly on the concept model, a discussion of the former necessitates a discussion of the latter. In this paper, we first present a set of tasks that we believe controlled medical vocabularies should handle. Next, we describe our concept model for a controlled medical vocabulary. Then, we review the literature on changes in existing vocabulary systems. Finally, we present our change model. We call our system, which incorporates the concept model and change model, the General Online Dictionary of Medicine (GOLDMINE).

Models, Theoretical↗

PubMed1999

A methodology for partitioning a vocabulary hierarchy into trees.

Controlled medical vocabularies are useful in application areas such as medical information systems and decision-support systems. However, such vocabularies are large and complex, and working with them can be daunting. It is important to provide a means for orienting vocabulary designers and users to the vocabulary's contents. We describe a methodology for partitioning a vocabulary based on an IS-A hierarchy into small meaningful pieces. The methodology uses our disciplined modeling framework to refine the IS-A hierarchy according to prescribed rules in a process carried out by a user in conjunction with the computer. The partitioning of the hierarchy implies a partitioning of the vocabulary. We demonstrate the methodology with respect to a complex sample of the MED, an existing medical vocabulary.

Models, Theoretical↗

PubMed1996

Reading vocabulary knowledge and deafness.

With respect to reading vocabulary knowledge and deafness, this article addresses two broad questions: (1) Why is vocabulary knowledge related to reading comprehension ability? (2) How is reading vocabulary (i.e., word meanings) acquired? The article argues that the answers to these questions are best addressed by a vocabulary acquisition model labeled the knowledge model. In essence, this model asserts that both breadth and depth of vocabulary knowledge are critical. It is necessary to teach vocabulary, especially to poor readers, who are not likely to derive many word meanings from the use of context during natural or deliberate reading situations. On the basis of theoretical and research syntheses, the article offers implications for vocabulary instruction for deaf children and adolescents.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1996

The interaction of syntactic competence and vocabulary during reading by deaf students.

This research studied whether deaf students' component reading processes may interact with other in a competitive manner. Vocabulary and syntax, two processes known to directly and adversely affect the comprehension of many deaf readers, were studied to determine if they may influence each other, affecting the contribution that each one makes separately to reading comprehension. Multiple regression analyses were conducted on predictor variables that included measures of vocabulary and syntactic competence, as well as a variable summarizing the interaction of vocabulary and syntax. The criterion variable was a composite of comprehension performance on a cloze procedure and on a more traditional reading test. Results were cross-validated by separate regressions on data samples from three populations of profoundly deaf readers: 100 adolescents from oral school programs, 113 adolescents from total communication programs, and 211 students entering a postsecondary institution that used total communication. In each regression, the Vocabulary × Syntax interaction variable emerged as the most critical of the three predictors. Further analyses of the interaction revealed that among subjects in the highest quartile of syntactic competence, the correlation between vocabulary competence and reading was significantly greater than it was in the lower three syntax quartiles. In contrast, the relationship between syntax and comprehension remained stable across all four quartiles of vocabulary competence. This suggests that unless deaf readers have achieved a reasonable level of syntactic competence it may be difficult for them to capitalize fully on their vocabulary knowledge. The finding that limitations in one reading process can interfere with the application of another is consistent with the theory of Capacity Constrained Comprehension of M. Just and P. Carpenter (1992). Because syntax can exert both a direct and an indirect influence on comprehension, it should be an important focus in instructional programs.

Journal Article↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Parents' report of vocabulary and grammatical development of African American preschoolers: child and environmental associations.

This study examined how child and family factors affect individual differences in the language development of African American children between 18 and 30 months of age. Participants were 87 African American children, primarily from low-income families. Children's vocabulary and grammatical skills were assessed at 18, 24, and 30 months of age using the short form of the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory (CDI), a standardized parent report tool. Standardized language tests were administered repeatedly between 1 and 3 years of age. Results showed that children's vocabulary and utterance length grew linearly over time between 18 and 30 months of age. Children from more stimulating and responsive homes were reported to have larger vocabularies, to use more irregular nouns and verbs, and to use longer utterances, in addition to having more rapid rates of acquisition of irregular forms and longer utterances over time. Girls used longer utterances than boys and more irregular forms. Girls also had larger vocabularies in a secondary analysis that eliminated children whose parent report of their vocabulary was substantially lower than children's scores on a standardized language test. There are indications that some parents may be under-reporting their children's early vocabulary and grammatical development, with a high proportion of the parents reporting their child's 30 month vocabulary and grammatical development as being at or below the 10th percentile according to the CDI norms.

Black or African American↗

PubMed1994

A system for browsing the SNOMED International vocabulary.

We have developed a means for "browsing" an extremely large vocabulary of over 130,000 medical terms (SNOMED International, 3rd ed.). This vocabulary someday hopes to become a standard vocabulary and coding scheme for patient medical records. After obtaining the vocabulary in machine readable form (ASCII in standard data format--SDF) we wrote a meta program in Turbo Pascal which parsed and embedded control codes into an input file for importing the data into an "infobase" known as FolioVIEWS. Using this infobase, it became possible to rapidly and reliably navigate around the SNOMED vocabulary in a manner impossible with printed material. The FolioVIEWS search engine is robust and rapid and allows for easy access to the terms. The utility of the infobase in evaluating the SNOMED vocabulary has been quite good. The actual utility of SNOMED as a standard vocabulary remains to be evaluated.

Information Storage and Retrieval↗

PubMed1997

Vocabulary acquisition and verbal short-term memory: computational and neural bases.

In this paper, we explore the hypothesis that human vocabulary acquisition processes and verbal short-term memory abilities utilize a common cognitive and neural system. We begin by reviewing behavioral evidence for a shared set of processes. Next, we examine what the computational bases of such a shared system might be and how vocabulary acquisition and verbal short-term memory might be related in mechanistic terms. We examine existing computational models of vocabulary acquisition and of verbal short-term memory, concluding that they fail to adequately relate these two domains. We then propose an alternative model which accounts not only for the relationship between word learning and verbal short-term memory, but also for a wide range of phenomena in verbal short-term memory. Furthermore, this new account provides a clear statement of the relationship between the proposed system and mechanisms of language processing more generally. We then consider possible neural substrates for this cognitive system. We begin by reviewing what is known of the neural substrates of speech processing and outline a conceptual framework within which a variety of seemingly contradictory neurophysiological and neuropsychological findings can be accommodated. The linkage of the shared system for vocabulary acquisition and verbal short-term memory to neural areas specifically involved in speech processing lends further support to our functional-level identification of the mechanisms of vocabulary acquisition and verbal short-term memory with those of language processing. The present work thus relates vocabulary acquisition and verbal short-term memory to each other and to speech processing, at a cognitive, computational, and neural level.

Child↗

PubMed2003

Enhancing evidence-based practice--a controlled vocabulary for nursing practice and research.

Evidence-based practice requires flexible systems for information retrieval. Search processes in electronic databases must be based on terms, which are familiar to professionals and describe accurately the problem to be solved. The paper describes the process of evolving a controlled nursing vocabulary for indexing and information retrieval purposes. The vocabulary is based on terms of the Medline thesaurus the medical subject headings (MeSH) by National Library of Medicine and the International Classification for Nursing Practice by the International Council of Nurses. The created vocabulary consists of 10 themes central to nursing domain. The content was compiled using Delphi technique. The expert panel had four rounds and at the first stage the vocabulary consists of 558 terms. The validity of the vocabulary has been tested for indexing nursing research and based on the validation the expert panel has made some changes for the hierarchy and content. The vocabulary will be added as an independent theme to the Finnish thesaurus the FinMeSH.

Clinical Nursing Research↗

PubMed2000

Assessing children's vocabulary skills: from word knowledge to word-learning potential.

Knowledge of word meanings and the ability to use words are fundamental to nearly every interaction of every day. Beginning long before formal schooling, vocabulary skills underpin many aspects of communicative, social, and academic well-being. Thus, evaluation of vocabulary knowledge and use is central to any complete assessment of language proficiency. We have advanced in our use of vocabulary assessment significantly since Binet and Simon first used vocabulary tests to measure cognitive proficiency. We have a repertoire of informative tools and strategies from which vocabulary assessment protocols can be fashioned. Current assessment approaches integrate multiple sources of information. They also look beyond existing word knowledge toward word-learning potential. Integrated and dynamic approaches can provide a rich way to ascertain young children's vocabulary abilities and aptitudes.

Child Language↗

PubMed1995

Assessing adult receptive vocabulary with event-related potentials: an investigation of cross-modal and cross-form priming.

This experiment investigated whether a relationship existed between event-related potentials (ERPs) and performance on a standardized measure of receptive vocabulary; a computer adapted version of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R); using Preschooler, Child, and Adult levels of difficulty. Pictures (N = 90) were presented twice, once paired with a congruent spoken word and again paired with an incongruent word. Two ERP components (PMN and N400) were clearly and reliably larger in response to incongruent than congruent picture/spoken-word pairs. Importantly, ERP differentiation of congruent and incongruent pairs occurred only at vocabulary levels at or below the subjects' psychometrically determined vocabulary range. ERP differentiation did not occur at the highest level of vocabulary where subjects experienced more uncertainty and made more behavioral errors. These results are discussed in relation to the use of ERP measures in the assessment of receptive vocabulary levels.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Sign language vocabulary development practices and internet use among educational interpreters.

Sign language interpreters working in schools often face isolation in terms of their sign language vocabulary development opportunities. The purposes of this study were to determine the key demographic characteristics of educational interpreters in British Columbia, to identify the resources they use to learn new vocabulary, and to shed light on their Internet use and access levels, with a view to exploring the viability of this resource as a tool for vocabulary development for interpreters working in educational settings. Key demographics associated with interpreters' access to time and materials in advance of a lesson were job title and graduation from an interpreter training program. Interpreters with job titles that reflected their status as interpreters had more preparatory time each week than interpreters who had job titles focused on their roles as educational assistants. Interpreters overwhelmingly expressed the need for continuing professional development with respect to vocabulary development. In terms of the resources currently used, human resources (colleagues, deaf adults) were used significantly more often than nonhuman (books, videotapes, Internet). The resource use results showed that convenience was more important than quality. Books were used more often than videotapes, CD-ROMs, and the Internet, although the latter three had higher percentages of very satisfied users than did books. The design and content of online vocabulary resources and limited interpreter preparation time were identified as current issues keeping the Internet from reaching its potential as an easily accessible visual resource. Recommendations aimed at enhancing the viability of the Internet as a vocabulary development tool for educational interpreters are discussed.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Cross-linguistic analysis of vocabulary in young children: spanish, dutch, French, hebrew, italian, korean, and american english.

The composition of young children's vocabularies in 7 contrasting linguistic communities was investigated. Mothers of 269 twenty-month-olds in Argentina, Belgium, France, Israel, Italy, the Republic of Korea, and the United States completed comparable vocabulary checklists for their children. In each language and vocabulary size grouping (except for children just learning to talk), children's vocabularies contained relatively greater proportions of nouns than other word classes. Each word class was consistently positively correlated with every other class in each language and for children with smaller and larger vocabularies. Noun prevalence in the vocabularies of young children and the merits of several theories that may account for this pattern are discussed.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Portability issues for a structured clinical vocabulary: mapping from Yale to the Columbia medical entities dictionary.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the issues involved in mapping an existing structured controlled vocabulary, the Medical Entities Dictionary (MED) developed at Columbia University, to an institutional vocabulary, the laboratory and pharmacy vocabularies of the Yale New Haven Medical Center. DESIGN: 200 Yale pharmacy terms and 200 Yale laboratory terms were randomly selected from database files containing all of the Yale laboratory and pharmacy terms. These 400 terms were then mapped to the MED in three phases: mapping terms, mapping relationships between terms, and mapping attributes that modify terms. RESULTS: 73% of the Yale pharmacy terms mapped to MED terms. 49% of the Yale laboratory terms mapped to MED terms. After certain obsolete and otherwise inappropriate laboratory terms were eliminated, the latter rate improved to 59%. 23% of the unmatched Yale laboratory terms failed to match because of differences in granularity with MED terms. The Yale and MED pharmacy terms share 12 of 30 distinct attributes. The Yale and MED laboratory terms share 14 of 23 distinct attributes. CONCLUSION: The mapping of an institutional vocabulary to a structured controlled vocabulary requires that the mapping be performed at the level of terms, relationships, and attributes. The mapping process revealed the importance of standardization of local vocabulary subsets, standardization of attribute representation, and term granularity.

Clinical Laboratory Information Systems↗

PubMed1990

The effect of task alternatives on vocabulary knowledge: a comparison of students with and without learning disabilities.

This study used a two-part task format to (a) describe the vocabulary knowledge of 10- and 12-year-old students with learning disabilities and (b) assess the effect of task alternatives on their vocabulary knowledge. We addressed these research objectives by comparing the performance of 24 students with learning disabilities to an equal number of their normally achieving peers. Vocabulary knowledge was first assessed through a production task. In the even the student's response was inaccurate or incomplete, an identification task assessing the same vocabulary term was presented. Results revealed that, compared to normally achieving students, students with learning disabilities are (a) significantly less able to construct fully specified responses to production tasks, (b) comparable in their ability to use pictorial responses to demonstrate vocabulary knowledge not accessible in production tasks, and, (c) when equated in reading achievement, only 10-year-olds are significantly poorer in composite vocabulary knowledge.

Achievement↗

PubMed1994

Relation of performance on the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test with the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test--Revised among preschool children.

58 children enrolled in a university preschool or kindergarten program were administered the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test (K-BIT) and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test--Revised (PPVT--R). The PPVT--R correlated .75 with the K-BIT composite IQ, .69 with the K-BIT Vocabulary standard score, and .57 with the K-BIT Matrices score. The instruments also showed significant agreement (83%) in classifying children into average versus above average categories based upon a 110 standard score on either instrument. Analysis of K-BIT Vocabulary-Matrices differences showed a mean difference of 6 points favoring Vocabulary. Differences ranged from -32 points to 43 points. 64% of the subjects scored higher on the Vocabulary than on the Matrices subtest of the K-BIT. 48% of the sample showed differences between scores on Vocabulary and Matrices of 10 points or more disregarding the direction of the difference. Implications for the concurrent validity of the instrument and interpretation of subscale differences for preschool children were discussed.

Child, Preschool↗

PubMed2002

Exposure to Reach Out and Read and vocabulary outcomes in inner city preschoolers.

To examine the association between exposure to Reach Out and Read and vocabulary outcomes in children, a consecutive sample of 200 parent/child pairs was studied at two inner-city health centers. Children at clinic A were exposed to Reach Out and Read, a clinic-based literacy intervention, for 3 years at the time of the study; children at clinic B were unexposed. Main outcome measures were the "Expressive and Receptive One Word Picture Vocabulary Tests" to measure vocabulary in the children and the "Home Literacy Orientation" scale and "READ" subscale of the STIMQ, to measure book-sharing activities. A total of 200 subjects participated, and the mean age of children was 3.8 years. Demographic characteristics were comparable for both clinics at baseline. Exposed children scored higher on receptive vocabulary (81.5 vs. 74.3; p = 0.005). They also scored higher on both the Home Literacy Orientation scale (4.3 vs. 3.3; p = 0.002) and the STIMQ-READ (12.6 vs. 11.0; p = 0.056). There were no differences in expressive vocabulary scores between the two sites (79.5 vs. 77.5; p = 0.26). In conclusion, we found a positive association between exposure to Reach Out and Read and better receptive vocabulary scores. We also found higher scores for Reach Out and Read-exposed children on measures of home reading activities.

Chi-Square Distribution↗