A Critical Review
1.
Introduction
In this critical review, we will examine the article titled “Language acquisition in a post-pandemic
context: the impact of measures against COVID-19 on early language development” by Sara
Feijoo, Anna Amadó, Francesc Sidera, Eva Aguilar-Mediavilla, and Elisabet Serrat, published in
Frontiers in Psychology in 2023.
引言
在 这 篇 批 判 性 评 论 中 ， 我 们 将 审 视 由 Sara Feijoo, Anna Amad ó , Francesc Sidera, Eva
Aguilar-Mediavilla 和 Elisabet Serrat 撰写的文章《疫情后语言习得：防疫措施对早期语言发展
的影响》，该文章发表于 2023 年的《心理学前沿》。
The study investigates the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on language acquisition in young
children, focusing on how pandemic-related measures, such as mask-wearing and reduced social
interactions, have impacted early language development.
这项研究探讨了 COVID-19 疫情对幼儿语言习得的影响，重点研究了如戴口罩和减少社交互
动等防疫措施如何影响早期语言发展。
2. Research background
Language acquisition, particularly in early childhood, is heavily influenced by both the quality and
quantity of linguistic input. Previous research has highlighted the importance of multimodal input,
including auditory and visual cues, in speech comprehension and language development (Hollich
et al., 2005; Bahrick and Lickliter, 2012). Visual cues, such as mouth movements, play a significant
role in helping children understand and produce language. Moreover, variability in
interlocutors—having multiple and diverse language input sources—has been shown to enhance
children's expressive language skills (Richtsmeier et al., 2009; Rost and McMurray, 2009). The
COVID-19 pandemic introduced unique conditions that disrupted typical linguistic input, making
it a critical period for studying the effects of such disruptions on language development.
研究背景：语言习得，尤其是在儿童早期，在很大程度上受到语言输入的质量和数量的影响。
先前的研究强调了包括听觉和视觉线索在内的多模式输入在语音理解和语言发展中的重要
性（Hollich 等人，2005；Bahrick 和 Lickliter，2012 年）。视觉提示，如嘴巴的动作，在帮助
孩子理解和产生语言方面发挥着重要作用。此外，对话者的可变性——具有多种多样的语言
输入来源——已被证明可以提高儿童的语言表达能力（Richtsmeier 等人，2009；Rost 和
McMurray，2009 年）。新冠肺炎大流行引入了独特的条件，扰乱了典型的语言输入，使其
成为研究这种干扰对语言发展影响的关键时期。
3. Methodology
The central thesis of the article is that the COVID-19 pandemic, through widespread mask usage
and social restrictions, may have altered the linguistic input available to children, thereby
impacting their language development. To test this hypothesis, the authors designed a study that
uses the Catalan adaptation of the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories
(MB-CDIs) to compare the language development of children born during the pandemic
(2019-2020) with those born before (2012 or earlier). The structure and methodology of the
study can be further detailed as follows:
结构
文章的核心论点是 COVID-19 疫情通过普遍使用口罩和社交限制，可能改变了儿童可获得的
语言输入，从而影响他们的语言发展。为了验证这一假设，作者设计了一项研究，通过使用
MacArthur-Bates 交际发展量表（MB-CDIs）的加泰罗尼亚适应版，对比了疫情期间出生的儿
童（2019-2020 年）与疫情前出生的儿童（2012 年或更早）的语言发展情况。研究的结构和
方法可以进一步细化如下：
1. Research Design: The study employs a cross-sectional design to compare the language
development of children from different time periods. This design effectively captures the impact
of changes in the language input environment due to the pandemic on children's language
development.
研究设计：研究采用了横断面设计，比较不同时间段出生儿童的语言发展。这种设计能够有
效捕捉疫情前后语言输入环境的变化对儿童语言发展的影响。
2.Sample Selection: The study sample includes 41 children born in 2019-2020 and 41 children
born in 2012 or earlier. The sample selection considered matching for age, gender, and
socioeconomic background to control for these variables' influence on language development.
样本选择：
研究样本包括 41 名 2019-2020 年出生的儿童和 41 名 2012 年或更早出生的儿童。
样本的选择考虑了年龄、性别和社会经济背景的匹配，以尽量控制这些变量对语言发展的影
响。
3. Data Collection Tools: The study uses the Catalan adaptation of the MacArthur-Bates
Communicative Development Inventories (MB-CDIs), a widely used and validated tool for
assessing early childhood vocabulary development.
数据收集工具：使用了加泰罗尼亚适应版的 MacArthur-Bates 交际发展量表（MB-CDIs），这
是一种广泛使用且被验证有效的工具，用于评估幼儿的词汇发展。
4. Data Analysis Methods: Descriptive statistics to summarize the data and correlational analysis
to examine relationships between variables. Specifically, the study analyzed the relationship
between the variability of interlocutors and the expressive vocabulary scores of the children.
数据分析方法：用描述性统计方法对数据进行汇总，用相关分析方法检验变量之间的关系。
具体而言，本研究分析了对话者的可变性与儿童表达性词汇得分之间的关系。
This methodological design helps systematically assess the impact of pandemic-related measures
on children's language development while controlling for many potential confounding factors.
However, the study still faces limitations, such as a relatively small and geographically
concentrated sample, which may affect the generalizability of the findings.
This methodological design helps systematically assess the pandemic's impact on children's
language development, though it has limitations such as a small, geographically concentrated
sample.
这种方法论的设计有助于系统地评估疫情期间防疫措施对儿童语言发展的影响，同时控制了
许多潜在的混杂因素。然而，研究仍然存在一些局限性，例如样本量相对较小和地理集中，
这可能影响结果的普遍性。
这种方法设计有助于系统地评估疫情对儿童语言发展的影响，尽管它有局限性，例如样本小、
地理集中。
Critical Analysis
The critical analysis of the article will be structured around its strengths and weaknesses to provide a
balanced view.
批判性分析
文章的批判性分析将围绕其优势和劣势进行，以提供一个平衡的观点。
Strengths:
Comprehensive Literature Review: The article provides a thorough review of existing literature on the
importance of multimodal input and interlocutor variability in language acquisition. It effectively
integrates findings from various studies to support its hypothesis (e.g., Hollich et al., 2005; Bahrick and
Lickliter, 2012).
Robust Methodology: The study uses a well-established tool (MB-CDIs) for assessing early childhood
vocabulary development. The cross-sectional design and careful matching of samples for age, gender,
and socioeconomic background enhance the reliability of the findings.
Clear Hypothesis Testing: The use of correlation analysis to compare vocabulary scores and examine
relationships between variables is appropriate and effectively addresses the research questions.
优势：
综合文献综述：这篇文章对现有文献进行了全面的综述，阐述了多模式输入和对话者变异性在语
言习得中的重要性。它有效地整合了各种研究的结果，以支持其假设（例如，Hollich 等人，2005；
Bahrick 和 Lickliter，2012 年）。
稳健的方法：该研究使用了一种成熟的工具（MB CDI）来评估幼儿词汇发展。横断面设计和对年
龄、性别和社会经济背景样本的仔细匹配提高了研究结果的可靠性。
清晰假设检验：使用相关分析来比较词汇得分和检验变量之间的关系是恰当的，有效地解决了研
究问题。
Weaknesses:
Limited Sample Size: The study's sample size of 82 children (41 pre-pandemic and 41 post-pandemic)
is relatively small. This limitation can affect the statistical power of the study and the generalizability
of the findings.
Geographic Concentration: The sample is geographically concentrated in a specific region, which may
limit the applicability of the findings to broader populations.
Reliance on Parental Reports: The study relies on parental reports for data collection, which can
introduce variability and potential biases in the data. Parents' perceptions and reporting accuracy can
vary significantly.
弱点：
样本量有限：该研究对 82 名儿童（疫情前 41 名，疫情后 41 名）的样本量相对较小。这种限制
可能会影响研究的统计能力和研究结果的可推广性。
地理集中度：样本在地理上集中在特定地区，这可能会限制研究结果在更广泛人群中的适用性。
依赖父母报告：该研究依赖父母报告进行数据收集，这可能会在数据中引入可变性和潜在偏差。
父母的看法和报告的准确性可能会有很大差异。
4. Findings
The study's findings suggest that while there are no significant differences in vocabulary
development between pre- and post-pandemic children, there is a tendency for lower vocabulary
levels among the latter group. This observation is supported by the relationship found between
reduced interlocutor variability and lower expressive vocabulary scores. These results align with
the hypothesis that the pandemic's social restrictions limited the variety of linguistic input, which
is crucial for robust language development.
证据与解释
研究结果表明，尽管疫情前后出生的儿童在词汇发展上没有显著差异，但后者的词汇水平有
较低的趋势。这一观察结果与减少的对话者多样性和较低的表达词汇分数之间的关系一致。
这些结果与假设相符，即疫情的社交限制减少了语言输入的多样性，这对于稳健的语言发展
至关重要。
One notable weakness is the article’s limited sample size and geographic focus, which may affect
the generalizability of the findings. Additionally, the study could have benefited from a more
detailed examination of other potential influencing factors, such as the socio-economic status of
the families or the quality of language input received at home.
文章的一个明显弱点是样本量有限且地理集中，这可能影响结果的普遍性。此外，研究若能
更详细地考察其他潜在的影响因素，如家庭的社会经济地位或家庭语言输入的质量，将会更
加完善。
5. Conclusion
In summary, the article by Feijoo et al. offers a thoughtful exploration of the impacts of the
COVID-19 pandemic on early language development. It brings to light the importance of diverse
and rich linguistic input, supported by a well-structured methodology and thorough literature
review. However, the study's limitations, such as the small sample size and reliance on parental
reports, indicate that further research is necessary. This future research should aim to include
larger and more diverse populations to strengthen and expand upon these findings. Overall, the
study underscores the critical role of varied linguistic exposure in the healthy language
development of children, providing a foundation for future educational practices and policies.
总之，Feijoo 等人的文章对新冠肺炎大流行对早期语言发展的影响进行了深入探讨。它揭示
了多样化和丰富的语言输入的重要性，并辅以结构良好的方法和全面的文献综述。然而，该
研究的局限性，如样本量小和对父母报告的依赖，表明有必要进行进一步的研究。这项未来
的研究应该旨在包括更大、更多样化的人群，以加强和扩展这些发现。总的来说，这项研究
强调了各种语言接触在儿童健康语言发展中的关键作用，为未来的教育实践和政策奠定了基
础。
References
Feijoo, S., Amadó, A., Sidera, F., Aguilar-Mediavilla, E., & Serrat, E. (2023). Language acquisition in
a post-pandemic context: the impact of measures against COVID-19 on early language
development. Frontiers in Psychology.