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Published on: July 13, 2019
The development of a word-learning strategy
1Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, USA. halberda@wjh.harvard.edu
Cognition
|December 25, 2002
Summary
Young infants learn words using the Mutual Exclusivity principle. Seventeen-month-olds successfully map new words to new objects, while 14-month-olds show unexpected behavior.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Cognitive Science
- Linguistics
Background:
- Infants learn new words by linking novel labels to unfamiliar objects.
- The Mutual Exclusivity principle, where a novel word is assumed to refer to an unfamiliar object, is a key word-learning strategy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the developmental trajectory of the Mutual Exclusivity word-learning principle in young infants.
- To determine the age at which infants reliably employ Mutual Exclusivity.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments utilized a preferential looking paradigm with 14, 16, and 17-month-old infants.
- Infants were presented with familiar and novel objects and heard novel labels, with looking time recorded.
Main Results:
- A linear relationship was observed between infant age and successful application of Mutual Exclusivity.
- Seventeen-month-olds correctly mapped novel labels to novel objects.
- Fourteen-month-olds showed chance performance or systematically looked at familiar objects, indicating difficulty with Mutual Exclusivity.
Conclusions:
- Mutual Exclusivity emerges gradually, with significant development between 14 and 17 months of age.
- The findings provide insights into the early stages of word learning and conceptual development in infants.
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