12.04.2023 1

How Do Children Map Words Onto Objects?Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz Department of English and Linguistics Winter Semester 2009/2010 PrS First Language Acquisition Leiter: Sabine Schneider Referent: Paul-Christian Britz Nov. 24th, 2009

12.04.2023 2

How Do Children Map Words Onto Objects?

How Do Children Map Words Onto Objects?

Theories:

Social Clues

Perceptually Salient Association

Location of Objects

12.04.2023 3

How Do Children Map Words Onto Objects?

How Do Children Map Words Onto Objects?

Theories:

Social CluesInfants aged 12 months and older learn words through social clues

12.04.2023 4

How Do Children Map Words Onto Objects?

How Do Children Map Words Onto Objects?

Theories:

Perceptually Salient Association

Might infants learn only words for objects that they find interesting?

12.04.2023 5

How Do Children Map Words Onto Objects?

How Do Children Map Words Onto Objects?

Theories:

Location of Objects

Do infants learn words by object location rather than the object?

12.04.2023 6

How Do Children Map Words Onto Objects?

Q: Can children of 10 months learn words?

If so, how do they do it?

12.04.2023 7

How Do Children Map Words Onto Objects?

Experiment 1: Social Cues or Peceptual Salience?

Children presented with an interesting and a less interesting object

Using social cues (looking at the object), experimenters "name" the interesting (Group A, coincidental condition) or uninteresting (Group B, conflict condition) object: "Look, it's a modi!"

12.04.2023 8

How Do Children Map Words Onto Objects?

Observations Experiment 1:

children looked at the interesting object longer than the uninteresting

objects indeed appear to be more interesting  

when prompted with the word, both groups looked at the interesting object longer than the uninteresting, no matter if they were cued for it or not

children aged 10 mths. do not know social intent

12.04.2023 9

How Do Children Map Words Onto Objects?

Experiment 2: Location

Children presented with an interesting and a less interesting object

Object locations are switched for testing

12.04.2023 10

How Do Children Map Words Onto Objects?

Observations Experiment 2:

although switching the position of the objects made it harder to children to "map" the right object, the majority showed the same preference for the interesting object

--> the learning of words is not dependent on location

12.04.2023 11

How Do Children Map Words Onto Objects?

Interpretation:

Children (10 months) learn words by salience and association

The mechanisms of learning change over time(12 and 18 months olds learn through social intent)

Indicates that infants of 10 months do not have a theory of mind, but learn by association

12.04.2023 12

How Do Children Map Words Onto Objects?

Discussion:

Is associative word learning really word learning?

See example of Rico the Border Collie:

http://media.eurekalert.org/scipub/1097856s2.mov

12.04.2023 13

Sources & Image Credits:

Sources:

Pruden, Shannon et al. "The Birth of Words: Ten-Month-Olds Learn Words Through Perceptual Salience". Child Development 77.2 (March/April 2006): 266 - 280.

Stein, Rob. "Common Collie or Uberpooch?" Washington Post; June 11, 2004, page A01. Online <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A31130-2004Jun10_2.html>. Nov. 20th, 2009.

Video:

Border Collie Rico: http://media.eurekalert.org/scipub/1097856s2.mov

Images:

Childface Map: Copyright unknown http://www.charityhowto.com/video_info.php?vid=9

Monkey: CC from Flickr: Law_kevin

“Odd One Out“: CC from Flickr: SimonWhitacker

“Hier&Dort“: Copyright pcbritz

“Interesting Object“: CC from Flickr: gseven

“Uninteresting Object“: CC from flickr: ross.grady