Moment-to-Moment Processing of Complex Sentences by Adults with and without Developmental Language Disorder.

The sample was small, with 43 adults aged 18 to 25, English first-language speakers, and performance IQ 75 or greater, so it may not apply to older adults, children, or people with lower performance IQ. The groups were not matched on performance IQ, so performance IQ differences may contribute to the listening time differences. The sentences were shortened to make comprehension easier, which may have reduced the storage cost the study was designed to test; the null result at the critical region may not apply to more complex natural sentences. The spacebar auditory moving window measure may be less precise, and the authors said this may have reduced power to detect differences. The faster embedded-verb listening times for the DLD group were unexpected, and the authors said the reason is not clear and needs further support. Running span and language ability were correlated, so the effect of verbal working memory capacity is not fully separable from language ability. The study did not test treatment, so it cannot show what therapy changes.

The authors declared no relevant conflicts of interest. The publication types list NIH extramural research support.

Do not conclude that adults with DLD process complex sentences better because they were faster at embedded verbs. The main storage-cost region showed no group or condition difference, comprehension accuracy was similar, and the authors said the reason for the faster embedded-verb finding is not clear.