Influence of a model's verbal descriptions of toy interactions on kindergarten children's associative learning

Abstract

Ninety-six kindergarten children observed an adult female model who either labeled pairs of toys, used peer descriptions of toy interactions, or used adult descriptions of the same interactions. Compared to a no verbalization control group, a model's use of labels failed to affect acquisition significantly; however, the model's use of verbal descriptions did facilitate paired associate learning significantly. Adult descriptions, which were more specific and unusual than children's, produced significantly more associative learning. The model's enactive manipulations of the toys improved learning compared to a static presentation, regardless of the model's type of description. The results are discussed in terms of a social learning, contextualist view of cognition.