The Limits of Infants’ Early Word Learning

Loukia Taxitari,Katherine E Twomey,Gert Westermann,Nivedita Mani

doi:10.1080/15475441.2019.1670184

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn this series of experiments, we tested the limits of young infants’ word learning and generalization abilities in light of recent findings reporting sophisticated word learning abilities in the first year of life. Ten-month-old infants were trained with two word-object pairs and tested with either the same or different members of the corresponding categories. In Experiment 1, infants showed successful learning of the word-object associations, when trained and tested with a single exemplar from each category. In Experiment 2, infants were presented with multiple within-category items during training but failed to learn the word-object associations. In Experiment 3, infants were presented with a single exemplar from each category during training, and failed to generalize words to a new category exemplar. However, when infants were trained with items from perceptually and conceptually distinct categories in Experiment 4, they showed weak evidence for generalization of words to novel members of the corresponding categories. It is suggested that word learning in the first year begins as the formation of simple associations between words and objects that become enriched as experience with objects, words and categories accumulates across development.

Highlights

In this series of experiments, we tested the limits of young infants’ word learning and generalization abilities in light of recent findings reporting sophisticated word learning abilities in the first year of life
These findings extend previous research by testing the limits of young infants’ word learning capacities
A number of previous studies have shown that young infants can learn at least one novel word-object association in a laboratory setting (e.g. Pruden et al, 2006; Woodward, 1994), There are, crucial differences between these previous studies and the current study; in particular, it is difficult in such cases to examine whether infants have correctly associated the novel label with the object, or whether they are attending to the labeled object because this object is made more salient by having been given a label

Summary

Introduction

In this series of experiments, we tested the limits of young infants’ word learning and generalization abilities in light of recent findings reporting sophisticated word learning abilities in the first year of life. In Experiment 1, infants showed successful learning of the word-object associations, when trained and tested with a single exemplar from each category.

Results

Conclusion