The development of metaphorical language comprehension in typical development and in Williams syndrome

Authors

Michael S.C. Thomas, Birkbeck, University of London
Mike Van Duuren, University of Winchester
Harry R.M. Purser, Birkbeck, University of London
Denis Mareschal, Birkbeck, University of London
Daniel Ansari, Western UniversityFollow
Annette Karmiloff-Smith, Birkbeck, University of London

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

6-1-2010

Journal

Journal of Experimental Child Psychology

Volume

106

Issue

2-3

First Page

99

Last Page

114

URL with Digital Object Identifier

10.1016/j.jecp.2009.12.007

Abstract

The domain of figurative language comprehension was used to probe the developmental relation between language and cognition in typically developing individuals and individuals with Williams syndrome. Extending the work of Vosniadou and Ortony, the emergence of nonliteral similarity and category knowledge was investigated in 117 typically developing children between 4 and 12 years of age, 19 typically developing adults, 15 children with Williams syndrome between 5 and 12 years of age, and 8 adults with Williams syndrome. Participants were required to complete similarity and categorization statements by selecting one of two words (e.g., either "The sun is like ___" or "The sun is the same kind of thing as ___") with word pairs formed from items that were literally, perceptually, or functionally similar to the target word or else anomalous (e.g., moon, orange, oven, or chair, respectively). Results indicated that individuals with Williams syndrome may access different, less abstract knowledge in figurative language comparisons despite the relatively strong verbal abilities found in this disorder. © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.