Can children learn verbs from events separated in time? Examining how variability and memory contribute to verb learning

Abstract

Children in everyday environments experience verbs separated by minutes or hours and linked to events that vary in their similarity. Prior studies have shown that seeing similar events can be beneficial for verb learning (e.g., complex events), but there is also evidence that varied events or seeing both similar and varied events is useful; more studies are needed. In addition, few prior verb studies have tested verb learning from spaced practice. In Study 1, 3½- and 4½-year-olds (N = 72) saw either three similar events, three varied events, or a single live event (control) while hearing a new verb; events were separated by 1-min delays. Results showed better performance in multiple-event conditions than in the single-event condition and showed more extensions with age. Specifically, children benefitted more from seeing varied events with age. In Study 2, 2½-, 3½-, and 4½-year-olds (N = 163) either saw similar and then varied events or saw all varied video events separated by 1-min delays or no delays. The youngest children performed significantly better in the similar first condition than in the all varied condition, showing the first evidence of this benefit following spaced practice. In addition, as in Study 1, performance after seeing varied events increased with age. Together, these studies show that children can compare events separated in time and that their ability to learn verbs from varied examples develops with age.