Research Methods in Child Language: A Practical Guide

The underlying knowledge and mechanisms that enable language acquisition are hidden inside the mind of the child, and researchers depend on an array of tools to better understand children’s language skills and knowledge at different levels of development.

Research Methods in Child Language: A Practical Guide presents the diverse methods researchers utilize to study child language, providing clear explanations of the procedures used and the information that these methods yield. Each chapter is written by researchers who have contributed to the development of the methods explored, and describes the obstacles encountered in refining these methods. Presenting new research methods, such as the use of functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) to study the activity of the brain, and expanding on more traditional research methods such as collection, transcription, and coding of speech samples that have been transformed by new hardware and software, Research Methods in Child Language is an essential tool for all in the field of child language.