This RCDA is requested to enable the PI to extend current research agenda by focusing on language development across the life-span and to acquire advanced training in gerontology and quantitative methods to support this research agenda. Five objectives are: (i) Develop common methods to assess sources of language processing difficulties to be used in a life-span perspective focusing on language development from childhood to late adulthood. (ii) Extend this focus to diverse populations at risk for language impairments. (iii) Evaluate competing linguistic measures of syntactic complexity for predicting age-group and individual differences in language processing. (iv) Acquire advanced training in life-span development and clinical disorders of language. (v) Acquire advanced statistical and quantitative training.
Kemper, S; Marquis, J; Thompson, M (2001) Longitudinal change in language production: effects of aging and dementia on grammatical complexity and propositional content. Psychol Aging 16:600-14 |
Snowdon, D A; Kemper, S J; Mortimer, J A et al. (1996) Linguistic ability in early life and cognitive function and Alzheimer's disease in late life. Findings from the Nun Study. JAMA 275:528-32 |