Twelve-month-olds privilege words over other linguistic sounds in an associative learning task

Heather Mackenzie,Susan A Graham,Suzanne Curtin

doi:10.1111/j.1467-7687.2010.00975.x

Heather Mackenzie, Susan A Graham + Show 1 more

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Journal: Developmental Science	Publication Date: Feb 18, 2011
Citations: 63	License type: cc-by

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We examined whether 12-month-old infants privilege words over other linguistic stimuli in an associative learning task. Sixty-four infants were presented with sets of either word–object, communicative sound–object, or consonantal sound–object pairings until they habituated. They were then tested on a ‘switch’ in the sound to determine whether they were able to associate the word and/or sound with the novel objects. Infants associated words, but not communicative sounds or consonantal sounds, with novel objects. The results demonstrate that infants exhibit a preference for words over other linguistic stimuli in an associative word learning task. This suggests that by 12 months of age, infants have developed knowledge about the nature of an appropriate sound form for an object label and will privilege this form as an object label.

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The rapid rate at which children learn words raises the possibility that linguistic sounds may be privileged early in development
We examine the possibility that infants have acquired knowledge about what constitutes an appropriate form for an object label over the first year of life
We ask whether 12-month-old infants will privilege sound sequences that conform to those commonly used as object words over other types of linguistic stimuli, such as communicative sounds or single consonantal sounds, in sound–object association tasks

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The rapid rate at which children learn words raises the possibility that linguistic sounds may be privileged early in development. We ask whether 12-month-old infants will privilege sound sequences that conform to those commonly used as object words over other types of linguistic stimuli, such as communicative sounds or single consonantal sounds, in sound–object association tasks. Several studies have found that young infants will treat words differently from tones in individuation and categorization tasks Fulkerson and Waxman (2007) demonstrated that both 6- and 12-month-old infants will use words, but not tones, to form object categories. Roberts demonstrated that 15-month-old infants will successfully demonstrate categorization when they hear either labeling phrases or instrumental music, in perfect association with their looking behavior but fail to do so when either auditory stimulus is presented non-contingently (Roberts, 1995; Roberts & Jacob, 1991)

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