Visual Sequence Learning in Infancy: Domain‐General and Domain‐Specific Associations With Language

Abstract

Research suggests that nonlinguistic sequence learning abilities are an important contributor to language development (Conway, Bauernschmidt, Huang, & Pisoni, 2010). The current study investigated visual sequence learning (VSL) as a possible predictor of vocabulary development in infants. Fifty‐eight 8.5‐month‐old infants were presented with a three‐location spatiotemporal sequence of multicolored geometric shapes. Early language skills were assessed using the MacArthur‐Bates CDI. Analyses of children’s reaction times to the stimuli suggest that the extent to which infants demonstrated learning was significantly correlated with their vocabulary comprehension at the time of test and with their gestural comprehension abilities 5 months later. These findings suggest that VSL may have both domain‐general and domain‐specific associations with language learning.