Differential Effects of Expressive and Receptive Language Use on the Inference Task Performance of Middle- and Lower-Income Children

Abstract

Performance on receptive and expressive language measures as related to inference task administration was investigated. The contribution of receptive and expressive language abili ties to observed differences in performance on inference tasks was explored in relation to socioeconomic status. The study employed 384 lower- and middle-income Black chil dren ages 3, 5, 7, and 9. Subjects at each age level were tested on three language measures, the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, the McCarthy Subscales, and a Flexibility Score. Socioeconomic differences in performance were ex pected and obtained; middle-income subjects obtained higher scores. Differences attributed to socioeconomic status were most pronounced at the oldest age levels. In particular, 9-year-old lower-income subjects were approximately two years behind their middle-income peers. On the two infer ence tasks differences related to socioeconomic status were found only for the conceptual, more complex inference task.