Work

Socioeconomic status correlates with measures of Language Environment Analysis (LENA) system: a meta-analysis

Year: 2021

Type: review

Study designs: Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis

Abstract: Using a meta-analytic approach, we evaluate the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and children's experiences measured with the Language Environment Analysis (LENA) system. Our final analysis included 22 independent samples, representing data from 1583 children. A model controlling for LENA TM measures, age and publication type revealed an effect size of r z = .186, indicating a small effect of SES on children's language experiences. The type of LENA metric measured emerged as a significant moderator, indicating stronger effects for adult word counts than child vocalization counts. These results provide important evidence for the strength of association between SES and children's everyday language experiences as measured with an unobtrusive recording analyzed automatically in a standardized fashion.

Source: Journal of Child Language

DOI: 10.1017/s0305000921000441

Authors: Leonardo PIOT, Naomi HAVRON, Alejandrina CRISTIA