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The Communicative Development Inventory-WORDS Short Form as an index of language production*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 September 2008

Valerie Corkum  and
Philip Dunham
Valerie Corkum
Affiliation:
Dalhousie University
Philip Dunham*
Affiliation:
Dalhousie University
*
Department of Psychology, Dalhousie University, Halifax NS, Canada, B3H 4J1.
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Abstract

This longitudinal study was designed to examine the CDI-WORDS Short Form vocabulary checklist (Reznick & Goldsmith, 1989) as an index of language production. In particular, we were curious about: (1) the concurrent associations between the CDI-WORDS Short Form checklist measure and directly observed measures of lexical production; (2) the associations between Short Form checklists administered at different ages; and (3) the predictive associations between Short Form scores and subsequent measures of more general intellectual abilities (i.e. the Wechlser Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence; WPPSIR; Wechsler, 1989). In a sample of 32 children, significant correlations were found between CDI-WORDS Short Form scores and directly observed measures of lexical production at both 1;6 and 2;0. Further, both the Short Form checklist and the observed measure of lexical production were found to predict WPPSI-R Verbal IQ scores but not the Performance IQ scores at 4;0. Additional analyses demonstrated the predictive and convergent validity of the CDI-WORDS Short Form, and underscored the additional value of direct observational measures of lexical production during early lexical development.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Child Language , Volume 23 , Issue 3 , October 1996 , pp. 515 - 528
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1996

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Footnotes

[*]

This research was supported by a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada to Philip J. Dunham. The authors extend their thanks to Holly Newkirk, Claire Mallon and Ann Curwin for their assistance with data collection and coding; to Fran Dunham for her work on the data analyses; and to the Grace Maternity Hospital for assistance in the recruitment of participants. Our appreciation is also extended to the families who graciously gave their time to participate in this longitudinal project.

References

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