Impact of narrative task complexity (Lipner et al., 2024)

<b>Purpose:</b> We investigated the impact of narrative task complexity on macrostructure in both languages of bilingual kindergarten children and the relationship of macrostructure across languages to guide practitioners’ choice of assessment tools and aid in interpretation of results.<b>Method:</b> Thirty-nine English–Hebrew bilingual kindergarten children (<i>M</i>_age = 65 months) retold two narratives in each language: a one-episode story and a three-episode story. Stories were coded for macrostructure using five story grammar (SG) elements: Internal State-Initiating Event, Goal, Attempt, Outcome, and Internal State-Reaction. Linear mixed and generalized linear mixed models were used to analyze scores for total macrostructure, episode, and SG elements; correlations were conducted to examine cross-language relations in macrostructure.<b>Results:</b> In general, performance on the single-episode story was significantly better than for the three-episode story: higher percentages of SG elements were produced, with better performance in the home language/English. In addition to Task and Language effects, Age and Episode (Episodes 1/2/3 of the three-episode story vs. one-episode story) emerged as predictors of macrostructure. Performance on the different episodes of the three-episode story varied, with Episode 3 yielding scores similar to those on the one-episode story. Children produced more Attempts and Outcomes than other SG elements. Finally, the total macrostructure scores yielded low to moderate correlations across languages for both one-episode and three-episode stories, but there were no significant cross-task (one-episode/three-episode story) correlations.<b>Conclusions:</b> The study illustrates the importance of task complexity in narrative performance. Ideally, assessment should include a variety of tools, which would include narratives varying in complexity. However, time constraints do not always permit this luxury. The findings here may offer more to therapists than to diagnosticians. Narratives should be manipulated for episodic complexity not only in the number of episodes but also with regard to characters, goals, feelings, and reactions to events.<b>Supplemental Material S1.</b> Likelihood ratio tests results predicting total macrostructure score.<b>Supplemental Material S2.</b> Likelihood ratio tests results predicting macrostructure score per episode.<b>Supplemental Material S3.</b> Likelihood ratio tests results predicting full GAO.<b>Supplemental Material S4.</b> Likelihood ratio tests results predicting production of SG elements.Lipner, M., Armon-Lotem, S., Fichman, S., Walters, J., &amp; Altman, C. (2024). Impact of narrative task complexity and language on macrostructure in bilingual kindergarten children. <i>Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools</i><i>, 55</i>(2), 545–560. https://doi.org/10.1044/2023_LSHSS-23-00152研究目的：本研究探讨叙事任务复杂度对双语幼儿园儿童两种语言下的宏观结构（macrostructure）的影响，以及不同语言间宏观结构的关联，旨在为从业者选择评估工具及辅助结果解读提供参考。 研究方法：招募39名英-希伯来语双语幼儿园儿童，平均年龄为65个月（M_age=65个月），要求其用两种语言各复述2个故事：单情节故事与三情节故事。采用5类故事语法（Story Grammar, SG）要素对故事的宏观结构进行编码：内部状态-启动事件（Internal State-Initiating Event）、目标（Goal）、尝试（Attempt）、结果（Outcome）、内部状态-反应（Internal State-Reaction）。采用线性混合模型与广义线性混合模型分析总宏观结构、情节及SG要素的得分；通过相关性分析考察不同语言间宏观结构的关联。 研究结果：总体而言，儿童在单情节故事上的表现显著优于三情节故事：产出的SG要素占比更高，且在母语/英语中的表现更优。除任务与语言效应外，年龄及情节（三情节故事的第1/2/3情节与单情节故事）均为宏观结构的预测因素。三情节故事的不同情节表现存在差异，第3情节的得分与单情节故事的得分相近。儿童产出的尝试与结果要素多于其他SG要素。最后，单情节与三情节故事的总宏观结构得分在不同语言间均存在低至中度的相关性，但跨任务（单情节/三情节故事）的相关性未达到显著水平。 研究结论：本研究阐明了任务复杂度对叙事表现的重要性。理想情况下，评估应涵盖多种工具，包括复杂度各异的叙事任务，但受时间限制往往无法实现这一点。本研究结果对治疗师的参考价值或高于诊断医师。叙事任务的情节复杂度不仅可通过情节数量进行调控，还可结合角色、目标、情感及事件反应等维度进行设计。 补充材料S1：预测总宏观结构得分的似然比检验结果。 补充材料S2：预测各情节宏观结构得分的似然比检验结果。 补充材料S3：预测完整GAO的似然比检验结果。 补充材料S4：预测SG要素产出的似然比检验结果。 参考文献：Lipner, M., Armon-Lotem, S., Fichman, S., Walters, J., & Altman, C. (2024). 双语幼儿园儿童叙事任务复杂度与语言对宏观结构的影响. *语言、言语与听力服务在学校*（*Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools*）, 55(2), 545–560. https://doi.org/10.1044/2023_LSHSS-23-00152