Browsing by Author "Demir-Lira, O. Ece"

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Citation Count: 0
The Link Between Early Iconic Gesture Comprehension and Receptive Language
(Wiley, 2024) Dogan, Isil; Ozer, Demet; Aktan-Erciyes, Asli; Furman, Reyhan; Demir-Lira, O. Ece; Ozcaliskan, Seyda; Goksun, Tilbe
Children comprehend iconic gestures relatively later than deictic gestures. Previous research with English-learning children indicated that they could comprehend iconic gestures at 26 months, a pattern whose extension to other languages is not yet known. The present study examined Turkish-learning children's iconic gesture comprehension and its relation to their receptive vocabulary knowledge. Turkish-learning children between the ages of 22- and 30-month-olds (N = 92, M = 25.6 months, SD = 1.6; 51 girls) completed a gesture comprehension task in which they were asked to choose the correct picture that matched the experimenter's speech and iconic gestures. They were also administered a standardized receptive vocabulary test. Children's performance in the gesture comprehension task increased with age, which was also related to their receptive vocabulary knowledge. When children were categorized into younger and older age groups based on the median age (i.e., 26 months-the age at which iconic gesture comprehension was present for English-learning children), only the older group performed at chance level in the task. At the same time, receptive vocabulary was positively related to gesture comprehension for younger but not older children. These findings suggest a shift in iconic gesture comprehension at around 26 months and indicate a possible link between receptive vocabulary knowledge and iconic gesture comprehension, particularly for children younger than 26 months.
Citation Count: 4
Motor Skills, Language Development, and Visual Processing in Preterm and Full-Term Infants
(Springer, 2023) Kobas, Mert; Kizildere, Erim; Dogan, Isil; Aktan-Erciyes, Asli; Demir-Lira, O. Ece; Akman, Ipek; Goksun, Tilbe
Language development is intertwined with motor development. This study examined how visual processing might mediate the relation between language development and motor skills in preterm (PT, n = 34, Mean gestational age = 30 weeks) and full-term infants (FT, n = 35, Mean gestational age = 38.9 weeks) at 13 months of age. Infants' visual processing, fine and gross motor skills were tested using the Mullen Scales of Early Learning. Parents reported on infants' language skills (word comprehension and early communicative behavior), using the Turkish version of CDI (TCDI). Results showed that PT infants performed worse than their FT peers on gross motor skills and visual processing, but not on language. When controlling for age and neonatal condition (being preterm or not), visual processing mediated the relation between gross motor skills and word comprehension as well as early communicative behavior. However, for fine motor skills, visual processing mediated the relation between fine motor skills and early communicative behavior but not word comprehension. The relations between motor skills and visual processing were more robust for the PT group than the FT group. Following developmental cascades, these findings suggest that motor skills contribute to language development through visual processing. These relations are prominent for preterm infants who have delays in motor skills. PT children's limited interactions with their environment due to problems in motor skills can be connected to delays in visual processing.
Citation Count: 0
The Multifaceted Nature of Early Vocabulary Development: Connecting Children's Characteristics With Parental Input Types
(Wiley, 2024) Goksun, Tilbe; Aktan-Erciyes, Asli; Karadoller, Dilay Z.; Demir-Lira, O. Ece
Children need to learn the demands of their native language in the early vocabulary development phase. In this dynamic process, parental multimodal input may shape neurodevelopmental trajectories while also being tailored by child-related factors. Moving beyond typically characterized group profiles, in this article, we synthesize growing evidence on the effects of parental multimodal input (amount, quality, or absence), domain-specific input (space and math), and language-specific input (causal verbs and sound symbols) on preterm, full-term, and deaf children's early vocabulary development, focusing primarily on research with children learning Turkish and Turkish Sign Language. We advocate for a theoretical perspective, integrating neonatal characteristics and parental input, and acknowledging the unique constraints of languages.
Citation Count: 1
New Insights From Children With Early Focal Brain Injury: Lessons To Be Learned From Examining Stem-Related Skills
(Wiley, 2019) Demir-Lira, O. Ece; Aktan Erciyes, Aslı; Göksun, Tilbe
The study of cognitive development in children with early brain injury reveals crucial information about the developing brain and its plasticity. However information on long-term outcomes of these children especially in domains relevant to science technology engineering and math (STEM) remains limited. In the current review our goal is to address the existing research on cognitive development of children with pre- or perinatal focal brain lesion (PL) as it relates to children's STEM-related skills and suggest future work that could shed further light on the developmental trajectories of children with PL. We argue that examining STEM-related development in children with PL will have broader implications for our understanding of the nature of the plasticity children with PL exhibit as well as address theoretical questions in the field regarding the foundation skills for STEM including visuospatial and mathematical skills.