A University of Iowa research study is looking at the connection between sleep and vocabulary learning skills between people who have language learning disabilities and people who have no learning problems. Karla McGregor, PhD, professor of communication sciences and disorders at the University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, talks about the study:
What motivated you to look for a connection between sleep and language learning?
Students I’ve worked with have often reported that when they’re working on a problem or studying right before bedtime, they sometimes wake up the next morning feeling like they really know the information better than before they went to bed. There is some scientific evidence that demonstrates that sleep can enhance our memory for newly learned information. My laboratory is devoted to understanding language learning problems, so—to the extent that sleep plays a role in learning—I want to understand that connection more fully.
What is this study designed to look at regarding to sleep and vocabulary?
The primary question is whether people remember new words better after a 12-hour interval that includes sleep, as compared to a 12-hour interval of wakefulness.
Who is eligible to participate in the study?
The study is meant for:
- Young adults, 18 to 25 years of age
- Adults with language learning disabilities
- A comparison group who have no learning problems
What will participants be asked to do as part of the study?
Initially, they take some tests of general language ability and some computerized tasks meant to teach them new words and measure their knowledge or learning of those new words.
How long will the study last?
The participants come into the laboratory for five visits. The visits are an hour and a half to two hours long—something in that realm—and the visits are spread over the course of a week or two.
What are you hoping to determine as a result of this study?
We want to know whether sleep influences memory for newly learned words, but more specifically—what aspects of word knowledge are enhanced and whether multiple periods of sleep continue to enhance that learning.
If someone wanted to participate in the study, who should they contact to see if they are eligible?
They should contact my lab coordinator Nicole Eden at 319-353-5779 or e-mail child-language@uiowa.edu even though this study deals with adults. |
