Feedback-Based Learning for Developmental Language Disorder
Trial Summary
What is the purpose of this trial?
This project aims to optimize a critical but understudied ingredient of language intervention provided to children with developmental language disorder (DLD) - feedback. The project will bridge a gap between previous findings in our lab of inefficient feedback processing in DLD and clinical practice by identifying the conditions under which feedback-based learning can be improved in DLD. The investigators hypothesize that the effectiveness of feedback can be significantly enhanced for children with DLD when it is tailored to their unique learning strengths. The rationale for this project is based on evidence that feedback-based learning can be improved by enhancing the dominance of an intact learning system. The project will achieve its aim by manipulating (1) the timing of the feedback (immediate vs. delayed) and (2) the level of the learner's involvement in error correction dictated by feedback (active vs. passive correction). Aim 1 will determine the effect of manipulating feedback timing on learning in 140 school-age children (8-12 years) with DLD. While immediate feedback is processed by the striatum, which is also implicated in implicit learning, delaying the feedback by a few seconds shifts feedback processing to the mediate temporal lobe (MTL)-based declarative learning system. Evidence that delaying feedback improves learning in DLD would support the hypothesis of the implicit deficit theory that intervention should capitalize on declarative learning mechanisms. The project will test a novel alternative feedback-learning parity hypothesis whereby feedback-based learning is optimized when the timing of the feedback is aligned with the dominant learning system at a given time (i.e., immediate feedback during striatal-based probabilistic learning; delayed feedback during MTL-based declarative learning). Within the same group of children, Aim 2 will compare feedback-based learning in children with DLD when feedback (a) prompts active self-correction or (b) passively exposes learners to error corrections (corrective recast). Children will engage in two nonword-object paired-associate learning tasks. In one task, feedback will promote active self-correction, which is in line with declarative learning. In the other task, feedback will passively expose the learner to corrective feedback in a manner consistent with teaching approaches aiming at reducing awareness of errors. The project will determine whether children with DLD learn better when feedback prompts self-correction or when they are exposed to passive corrections. Electrophysiological measures will indicate whether passive corrections (corrective recast) are processed as negative feedback by children with DLD. For both aims, behavioral indicators of response to feedback will be complemented by electrophysiological measures of feedback processing that can determine the involvement of the striatum and MTL brain systems during the learning process. This work is scientifically and clinically significant because elucidating what manipulations optimize feedback-based learning will enhance our understanding of the impaired learning mechanism in DLD and will provide clinical guidance on what type of feedback to use during an intervention.
Will I have to stop taking my current medications?
The trial information does not specify whether participants need to stop taking their current medications.
What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment Feedback-Based Learning for Developmental Language Disorder?
Research indicates that children with developmental language disorder (DLD) may not benefit as much from feedback-based learning as their peers with typical development. Studies show that children with DLD perform better in feedback-free learning environments, suggesting that feedback processing is impaired in these children.12345
Is feedback-based learning safe for humans?
How does the feedback-based learning treatment for developmental language disorder differ from other treatments?
This treatment is unique because it focuses on how feedback timing and type (immediate or delayed, positive or negative) affect learning in children with developmental language disorder, highlighting that these children may benefit more from feedback-free environments compared to traditional feedback-based methods.123510
Research Team
Yael Arbel, PhD
Principal Investigator
MGH Institute of Health Professions
Eligibility Criteria
This trial is for English-speaking children aged 8-12 with developmental language disorder (DLD), having an IQ score above 70 and specific language test scores. It excludes those with hearing loss, neurological issues like ADHD or autism, traumatic brain injury, or color blindness.Inclusion Criteria
Exclusion Criteria
Trial Timeline
Screening
Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial
Learning Task
Children engage in nonword-object paired-associate learning tasks with feedback manipulation
Immediate Post-Task Assessment
Accuracy on a two-choice paired-associate test immediately after the learning task
Follow-up Assessment
Accuracy on a two-choice paired-associate test to evaluate learning retention
Treatment Details
Interventions
- Declarative learning with delayed feedback (Behavioural Intervention)
- Declarative learning with immediate feedback (Behavioural Intervention)
- Probabilistic learning with delayed feedback (Behavioural Intervention)
- Probabilistic learning with immediate feedback (Behavioural Intervention)
- Word learning task with active feedback (Behavioural Intervention)
- Word learning task with passive feedback (Behavioural Intervention)
Find a Clinic Near You
Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?
MGH Institute of Health Professions
Lead Sponsor