Vocabulary trajectories in German-speaking children from 18 months to three years
A growth mixture model
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20368137 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Eveline Pinstock (0009-0004-6143-0036, University of Potsdam, corresponding author), Satyam Antonio Schramm (0000-0001-7445-4097, University of Potsdam) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 53 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 62-79 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Child Language (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0305-0009 • E-ISSN: 1469-7602 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0305000924000503 |
| PMID | 39696932 |
| OpenAlex | W4405598888 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 34 |
Children acquire vocabulary at different growth rates. The aim of this study was to identify subgroups of different vocabulary trajectories in a community sample of L1 German-speaking children aged 1;6 to 3;0 to enlarge the understanding of vocabulary trajectories. Parents filled out vocabulary checklists at four measurement times, each six months apart. Growth mixture modelling was used to naturally determine latent classes of observed vocabulary growth curve patterns. Six distinct trajectories of vocabulary growth were identified and characterised. Children’s ( N =198) vocabulary abilities were divided into the following subgroups: “far above average” (2.0%), “above average” (6.6%), “typical” (70.2%), “below average” (14.1%), “early below average" but caught up with their peers over time (5.6%), and “far below average” (1.5%). Socioeconomic status differed significantly between subgroups
Developmental psychology · German · Latent growth modeling · Linguistics · Population · Socioeconomic status · Vocabulary · Vocabulary development · Child and Animal Learning Development · Demography · Language Development and Disorders · Psychology · Reading and Literacy Development
Variability in Early Communicative Development
The Specificity of Environmental Influence
Early productive vocabulary predicts academic achievement 10 years later
Statistical and Substantive Checking in Growth Mixture Modeling
A new look at the statistical model identification
Estimating the Dimension of a Model
Application of Model-Selection Criteria to Some Problems in Multivariate Analysis
Testing the number of components in a normal mixture
Early lexical acquisition
Early lexical development in German
Interpreting the early language trajectories of children from low-SES and language minority homes
Rapid change in lexical development in comprehension and production
Reexamining the Vocabulary Spurt
Disentangling early language development
| Highly cited | No |
|---|