Barbara Zurer Pearson
Biographic Data
| ID | 3843050 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Barbara Zurer Pearson |
| GIVEN NAMES | Barbara Zurer |
| FAMILY NAME | Pearson |
| SIGNATURE | PEARSON B Z |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Miami |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 13 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 57 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 13 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1990 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2018 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Immigrant Parents
Removing obstacles for African American English-speaking children through greater understanding of language difference
Language difference among speakers of African American English (AAE) has often been considered language deficit, based on a lack of understanding about the AAE variety. Following Labov (1972), Wolfram (1969), Green (2002, 2011), and others, we define AAE as a complex rule-governed linguistic system and briefly discuss language structures that it shares with general American English (GAE) and others that are unique to AAE. We suggest ways in which…
Profile effects in early bilingual language and literacy
Bilingual children's language and literacy is stronger in some domains than others. Reanalysis of data from a broad-scale study of monolingual English and bilingual Spanish–English learners in Miami provided a clear demonstration of “profile effects,” where bilingual children perform at varying levels compared to monolinguals across different test types. The profile effects were strong and consistent across conditions of socioeconomic status, lan…
Social factors in childhood bilingualism in the United States
A number of studies have shown that approximately one-quarter of children in potentially bilingual environments do not become bilingual. This article explores several key factors that influence the likelihood that a child who has access to interactions in two languages will learn them both. The five factors discussed are input, language status, access to literacy, family language use, and community support, including schooling. It is argued that …
Assessing Lexical Development in Bilingual Babies and Toddlers
The introduction of vocabulary checklists for infant acquisition has allowed us to gather detailed information about early lexical growth from a broader number of bilingual children than before and to begin exploring the relation of growth in one language to growth in the other in a range of bilingual learning circumstances. Still, no standardized instruments to date give an adequate picture of normal bilingual development. Norms and milestones b…
The relation of input factors to lexical learning by bilingual infants
The bilingual child is seen as a unique source of information about the relation between input and intake. The strength of the association between language exposure estimates and vocabulary learning was examined for 25 simultaneous bilingual infants (ages 8 to 30 months) with differing patterns of exposure to the languages being learned. Using the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventories, standardized parent report forms in English and Spa…
Cross-language synonyms in the lexicons of bilingual infants: One language or two
This study tests the widely-cited claim from Volterra & Taeschner (1978), which is reinforced by Clark's Principle Of Contrast (1987), that young simultaneous bilingual children reject cross-language synonyms in their earliest lexicons. The rejection of translation equivalents is taken by Volterra & Taeschner as support for the idea that the bilingual child possesses a single-language system which includes elements from both languages. We examine…
Patterns of Interaction in the Lexical Growth in Two Languages of Bilingual Infants and Toddlers
We investigated the extent to which bilingual children follow the same patterns and timetable of lexical development as monolinguals. For a group of 20 simultaneous bilingual (English-Spanish) infants, ages 10 to 30 months, we looked at the patterns of growth in one language in relation to growth in the other and also with respect to growth in both languages combined. The MacArthur Communicative Development Inventories (CDI), standardized parent …
Predictive Validity of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) for Hispanic Bilingual Students
This study examines the effect of bilingual background on standardized testing among middle-class Hispanic students in South Florida Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores and college GPA after four semesters were compared for 220 Hispanic and 892 non-Hispanic White students at the University of Miami. SAT scores accounted for a similar percentage of the variance in college GPA for the two groups, but mean SATs were significantly lower for the His…
Lexical Development in Bilingual Infants and Toddlers: Comparison to Monolingual Norms
This study compares lexical development in a sample of 25 simultaneous bilingual and 35 monolingual children for whom semilongitudinal data were collected between the ages of 8 and 30 months. A standardized parent report form, the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory (1989), was used to assess the children's receptive and productive vocabulary in English and/or Spanish. A methodology was devised to assess the degree of overlap between th…
Measuring Bilingual Children's Receptive Vocabularies
Bilingual Receptive Vocabulary in Hispanic Preschool Children
Hispanic preschoolers in Miami, who are economically and culturally similar to the generalpopulation, were tested on receptive vocabulary in English and Spanish. English scores, even for children from homes where some English is spoken, were more than one and a haif standard deviations below the mean. The Spanish mean, by contrast was 95, a small, though significant difference from the Spanish norm. Factors other than vocabulary knowledge that mi…
The comprehension of metaphor by preschool children
Comprehension of metaphor in preschoolers was studied through an elicited repetition task. Subjects were 52 children aged 3;0 to 5;2. Repetition performance on metaphors was compared to repetitions of semantically well-formed literal sentences as well as semantically anomalous sentences, all matched for length, vocabulary and sentence structure. Accuracy on literal and metaphoric stimuli was comparable, and both were significantly better than per…
Lexical Development in Bilingual Infants and Toddlers: Comparison to Monolingual Norms
This study compares lexical development in a sample of 25 simultaneous bilingual and 35 monolingual children for whom semilongitudinal data were collected between the ages of 8 and 30 months. A standardized parent report form, the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory (1989), was used to assess the children's receptive and productive vocabulary in English and/or Spanish. A methodology was devised to assess the degree of overlap between th…
Removing obstacles for African American English-speaking children through greater understanding of language difference
Language difference among speakers of African American English (AAE) has often been considered language deficit, based on a lack of understanding about the AAE variety. Following Labov (1972), Wolfram (1969), Green (2002, 2011), and others, we define AAE as a complex rule-governed linguistic system and briefly discuss language structures that it shares with general American English (GAE) and others that are unique to AAE. We suggest ways in which…
Patterns of Interaction in the Lexical Growth in Two Languages of Bilingual Infants and Toddlers
We investigated the extent to which bilingual children follow the same patterns and timetable of lexical development as monolinguals. For a group of 20 simultaneous bilingual (English-Spanish) infants, ages 10 to 30 months, we looked at the patterns of growth in one language in relation to growth in the other and also with respect to growth in both languages combined. The MacArthur Communicative Development Inventories (CDI), standardized parent …
Predictive Validity of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) for Hispanic Bilingual Students
This study examines the effect of bilingual background on standardized testing among middle-class Hispanic students in South Florida Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores and college GPA after four semesters were compared for 220 Hispanic and 892 non-Hispanic White students at the University of Miami. SAT scores accounted for a similar percentage of the variance in college GPA for the two groups, but mean SATs were significantly lower for the His…
Bilingual Receptive Vocabulary in Hispanic Preschool Children
Hispanic preschoolers in Miami, who are economically and culturally similar to the generalpopulation, were tested on receptive vocabulary in English and Spanish. English scores, even for children from homes where some English is spoken, were more than one and a haif standard deviations below the mean. The Spanish mean, by contrast was 95, a small, though significant difference from the Spanish norm. Factors other than vocabulary knowledge that mi…
The comprehension of metaphor by preschool children
Comprehension of metaphor in preschoolers was studied through an elicited repetition task. Subjects were 52 children aged 3;0 to 5;2. Repetition performance on metaphors was compared to repetitions of semantically well-formed literal sentences as well as semantically anomalous sentences, all matched for length, vocabulary and sentence structure. Accuracy on literal and metaphoric stimuli was comparable, and both were significantly better than per…
Measuring Bilingual Children's Receptive Vocabularies
Bilingual Receptive Vocabulary in Hispanic Preschool Children
Hispanic preschoolers in Miami, who are economically and culturally similar to the generalpopulation, were tested on receptive vocabulary in English and Spanish. English scores, even for children from homes where some English is spoken, were more than one and a haif standard deviations below the mean. The Spanish mean, by contrast was 95, a small, though significant difference from the Spanish norm. Factors other than vocabulary knowledge that mi…
Predictive Validity of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) for Hispanic Bilingual Students
This study examines the effect of bilingual background on standardized testing among middle-class Hispanic students in South Florida Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores and college GPA after four semesters were compared for 220 Hispanic and 892 non-Hispanic White students at the University of Miami. SAT scores accounted for a similar percentage of the variance in college GPA for the two groups, but mean SATs were significantly lower for the His…
Lexical Development in Bilingual Infants and Toddlers: Comparison to Monolingual Norms
This study compares lexical development in a sample of 25 simultaneous bilingual and 35 monolingual children for whom semilongitudinal data were collected between the ages of 8 and 30 months. A standardized parent report form, the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory (1989), was used to assess the children's receptive and productive vocabulary in English and/or Spanish. A methodology was devised to assess the degree of overlap between th…
Patterns of Interaction in the Lexical Growth in Two Languages of Bilingual Infants and Toddlers
We investigated the extent to which bilingual children follow the same patterns and timetable of lexical development as monolinguals. For a group of 20 simultaneous bilingual (English-Spanish) infants, ages 10 to 30 months, we looked at the patterns of growth in one language in relation to growth in the other and also with respect to growth in both languages combined. The MacArthur Communicative Development Inventories (CDI), standardized parent …
Cross-language synonyms in the lexicons of bilingual infants: One language or two
This study tests the widely-cited claim from Volterra & Taeschner (1978), which is reinforced by Clark's Principle Of Contrast (1987), that young simultaneous bilingual children reject cross-language synonyms in their earliest lexicons. The rejection of translation equivalents is taken by Volterra & Taeschner as support for the idea that the bilingual child possesses a single-language system which includes elements from both languages. We examine…
The relation of input factors to lexical learning by bilingual infants
The bilingual child is seen as a unique source of information about the relation between input and intake. The strength of the association between language exposure estimates and vocabulary learning was examined for 25 simultaneous bilingual infants (ages 8 to 30 months) with differing patterns of exposure to the languages being learned. Using the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventories, standardized parent report forms in English and Spa…
Assessing Lexical Development in Bilingual Babies and Toddlers
The introduction of vocabulary checklists for infant acquisition has allowed us to gather detailed information about early lexical growth from a broader number of bilingual children than before and to begin exploring the relation of growth in one language to growth in the other in a range of bilingual learning circumstances. Still, no standardized instruments to date give an adequate picture of normal bilingual development. Norms and milestones b…
Profile effects in early bilingual language and literacy
Bilingual children's language and literacy is stronger in some domains than others. Reanalysis of data from a broad-scale study of monolingual English and bilingual Spanish–English learners in Miami provided a clear demonstration of “profile effects,” where bilingual children perform at varying levels compared to monolinguals across different test types. The profile effects were strong and consistent across conditions of socioeconomic status, lan…
Social factors in childhood bilingualism in the United States
A number of studies have shown that approximately one-quarter of children in potentially bilingual environments do not become bilingual. This article explores several key factors that influence the likelihood that a child who has access to interactions in two languages will learn them both. The five factors discussed are input, language status, access to literacy, family language use, and community support, including schooling. It is argued that …
Removing obstacles for African American English-speaking children through greater understanding of language difference
Language difference among speakers of African American English (AAE) has often been considered language deficit, based on a lack of understanding about the AAE variety. Following Labov (1972), Wolfram (1969), Green (2002, 2011), and others, we define AAE as a complex rule-governed linguistic system and briefly discuss language structures that it shares with general American English (GAE) and others that are unique to AAE. We suggest ways in which…
Immigrant Parents
Psychology (12 works) · Linguistics (10 works) · Reading and Literacy Development (10 works) · Vocabulary (9 works) · Developmental psychology (8 works) · Language Development and Disorders (8 works) · Neuroscience of multilingualism (8 works) · Mathematics education (6 works) · Computer Science (5 works) · Child and Animal Learning Development (4 works)