Individual differences in nonverbal prediction and vocabulary size in infancy

Reuter, Tracy; Emberson, Lauren L.; Romberg, Alexa R.; Lew‐Williams, Casey

doi:10.1016/j.cognition.2018.03.006

“…Because their memory representations are fragile [43–45], consistency might be particularly helpful in building memory representations that can be carried from one learning moment to the next. Moreover, previous research suggests a positive link between developmental outcomes and the ability to make predictions [17, 18, 41], as well as the amount of predictability and stability present in young children’s home environments [46–49]. Our results suggest that these links may be due, in part, to the benefits of the predictability of input for learning.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 61%

Predictable Events Enhance Word Learning in Toddlers

Benitez

¹

,

Saffran

²

2018

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SUMMARY Sensitivity to the predictability of the environment supports young children’s learning in many domains [1, 2], including language [3–6]; perception [7, 8]; and the processing of objects, space, and time [1, 9]. Predictable regularities allow observers to generate expectations about upcoming events and to learn from violations of those expectations [10, 11]. Given the benefits of detecting both predictable and unpredictable events, a key question concerns which types of input facilitate learning in young children. In the current research, we assessed the effects of predictability on toddlers’ word learning by embedding word-learning moments within events that were either predicted or violated predictions. 2-year-olds observed a continuous visual sequence in which novel objects were revealed from one of four locations in a predictable spatiotemporal pattern (1, 2, 3, 4). Objects were then labeled either during events that were predicted by the sequence (1, 2, 3, 4) or events that violated the sequence (1, 2, 3, 2). Results from two studies revealed better word learning for objects labeled during predictable events than objects labeled during unpredictable events. These findings suggest that predictable events create advantageous learning moments for toddlers, with implications for the role played by predictable input in early development.

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“…Evidence from monolinguals suggests that infants are more efficient in processing familiar words following a common sentence frame (e.g., Look at the…) than when hearing words in isolation, as predictable frames afford listeners the opportunity to anticipate upcoming information (Fernald & Hurtado, 2006). Across many dimensions, predictability supports infants' word learning (e.g., Axelsson & Horst, 2014;Benitez & Smith, 2012), and prediction abilities are tied to vocabulary knowledge (Reuter, Emberson, Romberg, & Lew-Williams, 2018). On Switched-Language trials, it was presumably harder for toddlers to generate an accurate prediction about the upcoming label.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bilingual toddlers’ comprehension of mixed sentences is asymmetrical across their two languages

Potter

¹

,

Fourakis

²

,

Morin-Lessard

³

et al. 2019

Developmental Science

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In bilingual language environments, infants and toddlers listen to two separate languages during the same key years that monolingual children listen to just one and bilinguals rarely learn each of their two languages at the same rate. Learning to understand language requires them to cope with challenges not found in monolingual input, notably the use of two languages within the same utterance (e.g., Do you like the perro? or ¿Te gusta el doggy?). For bilinguals of all ages, switching between two languages can reduce the efficiency in real‐time language processing. But language switching is a dynamic phenomenon in bilingual environments, presenting the young learner with many junctures where comprehension can be derailed or even supported. In this study, we tested 20 Spanish–English bilingual toddlers (18‐ to 30‐months) who varied substantially in language dominance. Toddlers’ eye movements were monitored as they looked at familiar objects and listened to single‐language and mixed‐language sentences in both of their languages. We found asymmetrical switch costs when toddlers were tested in their dominant versus non‐dominant language, and critically, they benefited from hearing nouns produced in their dominant language, independent of switching. While bilingualism does present unique challenges, our results suggest a united picture of early monolingual and bilingual learning. Just like monolinguals, experience shapes bilingual toddlers’ word knowledge, and with more robust representations, toddlers are better able to recognize words in diverse sentences.

show abstract

“…Evidence from monolinguals suggests that infants are more efficient in processing familiar words following a common sentence frame (e.g., Look at the…) than when hearing words in isolation, as predictable frames afford listeners the opportunity to anticipate upcoming information (Fernald & Hurtado, 2006). Across many dimensions, predictability supports infants' word learning (e.g., Axelsson & Horst, 2014;Benitez & Smith, 2012), and prediction abilities are tied to vocabulary knowledge (Reuter et al, 2018). On Switched-Language trials, it was presumably harder for toddlers to generate an accurate prediction about the upcoming label.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bilingual toddlers' comprehension of mixed sentences is asymmetrical across their two languages

Potter¹,

Fourakis²,

Morin-Lessard³

et al. 2019

Preprint

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In bilingual language environments, infants and toddlers listen to two separate languages during the same key years that monolingual children listen to just one and bilinguals rarely learn each of their two languages at the same rate. Learning to understand language requires them to cope with challenges not found in monolingual input, notably the use of two languages within the same utterance (e.g., Do you like the perro? or ¿Te gusta el doggy?). For bilinguals of all ages, switching between two languages can reduce the efficiency in real‐time language processing. But language switching is a dynamic phenomenon in bilingual environments, presenting the young learner with many junctures where comprehension can be derailed or even supported. In this study, we tested 20 Spanish–English bilingual toddlers (18‐ to 30‐months) who varied substantially in language dominance. Toddlers’ eye movements were monitored as they looked at familiar objects and listened to single‐language and mixed‐language sentences in both of their languages. We found asymmetrical switch costs when toddlers were tested in their dominant versus non‐dominant language, and critically, they benefited from hearing nouns produced in their dominant language, independent of switching. While bilingualism does present unique challenges, our results suggest a united picture of early monolingual and bilingual learning. Just like monolinguals, experience shapes bilingual toddlers’ word knowledge, and with more robust representations, toddlers are better able to recognize words in diverse sentences.

show abstract

Individual differences in nonverbal prediction and vocabulary size in infancy

Cited by 32 publications

References 30 publications

Predictable Events Enhance Word Learning in Toddlers

Predictable Events Enhance Word Learning in Toddlers

Bilingual toddlers’ comprehension of mixed sentences is asymmetrical across their two languages

Bilingual toddlers' comprehension of mixed sentences is asymmetrical across their two languages

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