Abstract
The mature lexicon encodes semantic relations between words, and these connections can alternately facilitate and interfere with language processing. We explore the emergence of these processing dynamics in 18-month-olds (N = 79) using a novel approach that calculates individualized semantic structure at multiple granularities in participants’ productive vocabularies. Participants completed two interleaved eye-tracked word recognition tasks involving semantically unrelated and related picture contexts, which sought to measure the impact of lexical facilitation and interference on processing, respectively. Semantic structure and vocabulary size differentially impacted processing in each task. Category level structure facilitated word recognition in 18-month-olds with smaller productive vocabularies, while overall lexical connectivity interfered with word recognition for toddlers with relatively larger vocabularies. The results suggest that, while semantic structure at multiple granularities is measurable even in small lexicons, mechanisms of semantic interference and facilitation are driven by the development of structure at different granularities. We consider these findings in light of accounts of adult word recognition that posits that different levels of structure index strong and weak activation from nearby and distant semantic neighbors. We also consider further directions for developmental change in these patterns.
Highlights
The mature lexicon encodes relations between words along numerous dimensions, including semantic similarity
Vocabulary structure in 24-month-olds influences real-time recognition of known and novel words [10,11], such that words in semantically denser categories are learned and recognized more efficiently than words in sparser categories. These findings suggest that building lexico-semantic networks may support language processing and vocabulary growth, though this has yet to be verified in younger populations
Our goal was to measure the interaction of semantic structure and vocabulary size on word recognition
Summary
The mature lexicon encodes relations between words along numerous dimensions, including semantic similarity. Lexico-semantic structure, in turn, interacts with language processing. Semantically related concepts can alternatively facilitate or interfere with language processing in adults[1]. Our theoretical understanding of lexico-semantic dynamics has been informed from findings in the adult psycholinguistic literature, which has explored lexical processing in individuals who know many thousands of words and have correspondingly complex semantic networks. Less is known regarding how structure initially emerges and interacts in language processing, understanding this process has the potential to provide crucial insight into how learners of all ages represent and interpret connections among word meanings. Fundamental questions include: How does lexico-semantic structure
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