title: Subcategory learning in normal and language learning-disabled adults: how much information do they need?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this experiment was to determine if nonreferential morphophonological information was sufficient to facilitate the learning of gender subcategories (i.e., masculine vs. feminine) in individuals with normal language (NL) and those with a history of language-based learning disabilities (HLD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-two adults listened for 18 min to a familiarization set of Russian words that included either 1 (single-marked) or 2 (double-marked) morphophonological markers indicating gender. Participants were then tested on their knowledge of both trained and untrained members of each gender subcategory.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Testing indicated that morphophonological information is sufficient for lexical subcategory learning in both NL and HLD groups, although the HLD group had lower overall accuracy. The HLD group benefited from double-marking relative to single-marking for subcategory learning.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results demonstrated that learning through implicit mechanisms occurred after a relatively brief exposure to the language stimuli. In addition, the weaker overall learning by the HLD group was facilitated when multiple cues to linguistic subcategory were available in the input group members received.
authors.affiliation: University of Arizona, Tucson, USA. jdrich@uga.edu
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Richardson
authors.forename: Laurel
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Plante
authors.forename: Louann
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gerken
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007806:Language Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D007859:Learning Disabilities; D008037:Linguistics; D008297:Male; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013067:Speech Perception; D013997:Time Factors; D014706:Verbal Learning