Abstract
Toddlers vary widely in the rate at which they develop vocabulary. This variation predicts later language development and school success at the group level; however, we cannot determine which children with slower vocabulary development in the second year will continue to have difficulty. In this article, I argue that this is because we lack theoretical understanding of how multiple processes operate as a system to create individual children's pathways to word learning. I discuss the difficulties children face when learning even a single concrete noun, the multiple general cognitive processes that support word learning, and some evidence of rapid development in the second year. I present work toward a formal model of the word learning system and how this system changes over time. The long-term goal of this work is to understand how individual children's strengths and weaknesses create unique vocabulary pathways that enable us to predict outcomes and identify effective interventions.
Highlights
Toddlers vary widely in the rate at which they develop vocabulary
Despite what we know from diary studies of individual vocabulary development, the field lacks theoretical understanding of how multiple processes operate as a system to create individual trajectories of word learning—and this is problematic if we are to translate research into effective interventions for at-risk children
I discuss the difficulties children face during the task of learning even a single concrete noun, the many general cognitive processes that support word learning, and some evidence that these processes develop rapidly in the second year
Summary
Toward a Precision Science of Word Learning: Understanding Individual Vocabulary Pathways. Despite what we know from diary studies of individual vocabulary development, the field lacks theoretical understanding of how multiple processes operate as a system to create individual trajectories of word learning—and this is problematic if we are to translate research into effective interventions for at-risk children Making headway on this issue requires understanding at the level of individual developmental pathways. Understanding the diverse pathways in which these components are integrated and mutually influential in early language development is critical to making a difference in the lives of children with language delay Toward this end, my colleagues and I are using a formal model to capture the complexities of the word learning system and its changes in the second year. Samuelson present for understanding, predicting, and supporting children’s vocabulary development
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