Pascal Zesiger
Biographic Data
| ID | 1465219 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Pascal Zesiger |
| GIVEN NAMES | Pascal |
| FAMILY NAME | Zesiger |
| SIGNATURE | ZESIGER P |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Geneva |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-7450-4899 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 10 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 10 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 10 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2012 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Sprouts of literacy
Morphological awareness, i.e., the ability to consciously manipulate roots (e.g., HEALTH ) and affixes (e.g., -Y as in HEALTHY ), is a key skill for literacy development. While its role is well documented from Grade 3 onward, its early contribution to reading and spelling acquisition remains unclear, especially in French. This study investigates whether morphological awareness predicts early reading and spelling, particularly for derived and inco…
Derivational Morphology Training in French-Speaking 9- to 14- Year-Old Children and Adolescents With Developmental Dyslexia
Children with developmental dyslexia (DD) display partially preserved morphology skills which they rely upon for reading and spelling. Therefore, we conducted explicit and intensive training of derivational morphology in French and Swiss individuals with DD, ages 9 to 14 years, in order to assess its effect on: morphological awareness, reading (speed and accuracy), and spelling. Our pre–posttest design included a group trained in derivational mor…
Touching while listening
The present study examined the links between haptic word processing speed, vocabulary, and inhibitory control among bilingual children. Three main hypotheses were tested: faster haptic processing speed, measured by the Computerized Comprehension Task at age 1;11, would be associated with larger concurrent vocabulary and greater longitudinal vocabulary growth. Second, early vocabulary size would be associated with greater vocabulary growth at 3;0 …
Language status at age 3
The present research extends recent work on the prediction of preschool language skills by exploring prediction from decontextualized vocabulary comprehension. Vocabulary comprehension was a stronger predictor than parent-reported production, yielding a quadrupling of variance accounted for relative to prior studies. Parallel studies (Studies 1 and 2) are reported for two linguistically and geographically distinct samples. In both samples, decont…
A cross-language study of decontextualized vocabulary comprehension in toddlerhood and kindergarten readiness
[Correction Notice: An Erratum for this article was reported in Vol 54(7) of Developmental Psychology (see record 2018-30226-001). In the article, the reference for Legacy, Zesiger, Friend, & Poulin-Dubois (2016) should be Legacy, Zesiger, Friend, & Poulin-Dubois (2018). The correct reference for the article is listed below: Legacy, J., Zesiger, P., Friend, M., & Poulin-Dubois, D. (2018). Vocabulary size and speed of word recognition in very youn…
Dog or chien ? Translation equivalents in the receptive and expressive vocabularies of young French–English bilinguals
In order to address gaps in the literature surrounding the acquisition of translation equivalents (TEs) in young bilinguals, two experiments were conducted. In Experiment 1, TEs were measured in the expressive vocabularies of thirty-four French–English bilinguals at 1;4, 1;10, and 2;6 using the MacArthur Bates CDI. Children's acquisition of TEs occurred gradually, with more balanced ratios of exposure and vocabulary associated with larger proport…
Vocabulary size, translation equivalents, and efficiency in word recognition in very young bilinguals
The present study examined early vocabulary development in fifty-nine French monolingual and fifty French–English bilingual infants (1;4–1;6). Vocabulary comprehension was assessed using both parental report (MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory; CDI) and the Computerized Comprehension Task (CCT). When assessing receptive vocabulary development using parental report, the bilinguals knew more words in their L1 versus their L2. Howev…
Stereotype or grammar? The representation of gender when two-year-old and three-year-old French-speaking toddlers listen to role nouns
Using a preferential looking paradigm, the current study examined the role that grammatical gender plays when preschool French-speaking toddlers process role nouns in the masculine form (e.g., chanteurs masculine ‘singers’). While being auditorily prompted with “Look at the ‘a role noun’!”, two- and three-year-olds were presented with two pictures of two characters (‘boy–boy’ versus ‘girl–boy’) with attributes of the given role noun (e.g., singer…
Lexical processing and organization in bilingual first language acquisition
A rich body of work in adult bilinguals documents an interconnected lexical network across languages, such that early word retrieval is language independent. This literature has yielded a number of influential models of bilingual semantic memory. However, extant models provide limited predictions about the emergence of lexical organization in bilingual first language acquisition (BFLA). Empirical evidence from monolingual infants suggests that le…
Phonological Specificity in 12‐ and 17‐Month‐Old French‐Speaking Infants
The literature reports some contradictory results on the degree of phonological specificity of infants’ early lexical representations in the Romance language, French, and Germanic languages. It is not clear whether these discrepancies are because of differences in method, in language characteristics, or in participants’ age. In this study, we examined whether 12‐ and 17‐month‐old French‐speaking infants are able to distinguish well‐pronounced fro…
A cross-language study of decontextualized vocabulary comprehension in toddlerhood and kindergarten readiness
[Correction Notice: An Erratum for this article was reported in Vol 54(7) of Developmental Psychology (see record 2018-30226-001). In the article, the reference for Legacy, Zesiger, Friend, & Poulin-Dubois (2016) should be Legacy, Zesiger, Friend, & Poulin-Dubois (2018). The correct reference for the article is listed below: Legacy, J., Zesiger, P., Friend, M., & Poulin-Dubois, D. (2018). Vocabulary size and speed of word recognition in very youn…
Lexical processing and organization in bilingual first language acquisition
A rich body of work in adult bilinguals documents an interconnected lexical network across languages, such that early word retrieval is language independent. This literature has yielded a number of influential models of bilingual semantic memory. However, extant models provide limited predictions about the emergence of lexical organization in bilingual first language acquisition (BFLA). Empirical evidence from monolingual infants suggests that le…
Language status at age 3
The present research extends recent work on the prediction of preschool language skills by exploring prediction from decontextualized vocabulary comprehension. Vocabulary comprehension was a stronger predictor than parent-reported production, yielding a quadrupling of variance accounted for relative to prior studies. Parallel studies (Studies 1 and 2) are reported for two linguistically and geographically distinct samples. In both samples, decont…
Phonological Specificity in 12‐ and 17‐Month‐Old French‐Speaking Infants
The literature reports some contradictory results on the degree of phonological specificity of infants’ early lexical representations in the Romance language, French, and Germanic languages. It is not clear whether these discrepancies are because of differences in method, in language characteristics, or in participants’ age. In this study, we examined whether 12‐ and 17‐month‐old French‐speaking infants are able to distinguish well‐pronounced fro…
Vocabulary size, translation equivalents, and efficiency in word recognition in very young bilinguals
The present study examined early vocabulary development in fifty-nine French monolingual and fifty French–English bilingual infants (1;4–1;6). Vocabulary comprehension was assessed using both parental report (MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory; CDI) and the Computerized Comprehension Task (CCT). When assessing receptive vocabulary development using parental report, the bilinguals knew more words in their L1 versus their L2. Howev…
Stereotype or grammar? The representation of gender when two-year-old and three-year-old French-speaking toddlers listen to role nouns
Using a preferential looking paradigm, the current study examined the role that grammatical gender plays when preschool French-speaking toddlers process role nouns in the masculine form (e.g., chanteurs masculine ‘singers’). While being auditorily prompted with “Look at the ‘a role noun’!”, two- and three-year-olds were presented with two pictures of two characters (‘boy–boy’ versus ‘girl–boy’) with attributes of the given role noun (e.g., singer…
Lexical processing and organization in bilingual first language acquisition
A rich body of work in adult bilinguals documents an interconnected lexical network across languages, such that early word retrieval is language independent. This literature has yielded a number of influential models of bilingual semantic memory. However, extant models provide limited predictions about the emergence of lexical organization in bilingual first language acquisition (BFLA). Empirical evidence from monolingual infants suggests that le…
Dog or chien ? Translation equivalents in the receptive and expressive vocabularies of young French–English bilinguals
In order to address gaps in the literature surrounding the acquisition of translation equivalents (TEs) in young bilinguals, two experiments were conducted. In Experiment 1, TEs were measured in the expressive vocabularies of thirty-four French–English bilinguals at 1;4, 1;10, and 2;6 using the MacArthur Bates CDI. Children's acquisition of TEs occurred gradually, with more balanced ratios of exposure and vocabulary associated with larger proport…
A cross-language study of decontextualized vocabulary comprehension in toddlerhood and kindergarten readiness
[Correction Notice: An Erratum for this article was reported in Vol 54(7) of Developmental Psychology (see record 2018-30226-001). In the article, the reference for Legacy, Zesiger, Friend, & Poulin-Dubois (2016) should be Legacy, Zesiger, Friend, & Poulin-Dubois (2018). The correct reference for the article is listed below: Legacy, J., Zesiger, P., Friend, M., & Poulin-Dubois, D. (2018). Vocabulary size and speed of word recognition in very youn…
Language status at age 3
The present research extends recent work on the prediction of preschool language skills by exploring prediction from decontextualized vocabulary comprehension. Vocabulary comprehension was a stronger predictor than parent-reported production, yielding a quadrupling of variance accounted for relative to prior studies. Parallel studies (Studies 1 and 2) are reported for two linguistically and geographically distinct samples. In both samples, decont…
Touching while listening
The present study examined the links between haptic word processing speed, vocabulary, and inhibitory control among bilingual children. Three main hypotheses were tested: faster haptic processing speed, measured by the Computerized Comprehension Task at age 1;11, would be associated with larger concurrent vocabulary and greater longitudinal vocabulary growth. Second, early vocabulary size would be associated with greater vocabulary growth at 3;0 …
Derivational Morphology Training in French-Speaking 9- to 14- Year-Old Children and Adolescents With Developmental Dyslexia
Children with developmental dyslexia (DD) display partially preserved morphology skills which they rely upon for reading and spelling. Therefore, we conducted explicit and intensive training of derivational morphology in French and Swiss individuals with DD, ages 9 to 14 years, in order to assess its effect on: morphological awareness, reading (speed and accuracy), and spelling. Our pre–posttest design included a group trained in derivational mor…
Sprouts of literacy
Morphological awareness, i.e., the ability to consciously manipulate roots (e.g., HEALTH ) and affixes (e.g., -Y as in HEALTHY ), is a key skill for literacy development. While its role is well documented from Grade 3 onward, its early contribution to reading and spelling acquisition remains unclear, especially in French. This study investigates whether morphological awareness predicts early reading and spelling, particularly for derived and inco…
Linguistics (9 works) · Psychology (9 works) · Reading and Literacy Development (9 works) · Language Development and Disorders (8 works) · Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism (6 works) · Comprehension (5 works) · Developmental psychology (5 works) · Vocabulary (5 works) · Vocabulary development (5 works) · Neuroscience of multilingualism (4 works)