Lexical retrieval and sentence processing in Williams Syndrome: A psycholinguistics analysis

Abstract

This study examines the performance of lexical retrieval and sentence processing in individuals with William Syndrome (WS) and a control group, with particular emphasis on the English-language tasks for Urdu-background individuals(1–3). While language has often been referred to as a relative strength for persons with WS, some aspects of language may be easier for some than others and some may be easier in some tasks than others. The study used a quantitative, comparative, and cross-sectional design with 60 participants (30 WS and 30 control participants). Lexical retrieval was measured using a 15-item naming task of objects, animals, and actions. A grammaticality-judgment task was used to assess sentence-processing performance using ten simple English sentences. Group comparisons were performed using descriptive statistics and Welch's independent-samples t-tests; non-parametric comparisons were made using Mann–Whitney U tests. The results showed significant differences between the groups in lexical retrieval, with a mean of 8.37/15 for the WS group and 12.63/15 for the control group, t(55.25) = −7.81, p < .001. Mean scores of 5.50/10 and 8.73/10, respectively, also yielded significant differences: t(57.98) = −8.14, p < .001. These results suggest that the WS group performed less well on both tasks(4–6). The study underscores the need to study specific language skills and recognizes the possible impact of English proficiency, as well as the small sample and task population size.