Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 21, 2026
07:36
An Experimental Analysis of Children's Ability to Provide a False Report about a Crime
Published on: May 3, 2016
Learning the unlearnable: the role of missing evidence
1Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, 5848 South University Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637, USA. regier@uchicago.edu
Cognition
|May 19, 2004
Summary
Children acquire syntactic knowledge, like anaphoric one, through Bayesian learning from input, not solely innate abilities. This challenges the "poverty of the stimulus" argument by highlighting sensitivity to input patterns.
Area of Science:
- Linguistics
- Developmental Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- The nature of syntactic knowledge acquisition in children is debated, with some arguing for innate linguistic structures.
- The
- argument from poverty of the stimulus
- suggests certain linguistic knowledge cannot be learned from experience.
Discussion:
- This study refutes the claim that knowledge of anaphoric one is innate, as proposed by Lidz et al.
- We present a Bayesian learning model demonstrating how this knowledge can be acquired from linguistic input.
- The model's success hinges on sensitivity to the absence of specific input patterns, an aspect overlooked in prior arguments.
Key Insights:
- Syntactic knowledge, including anaphoric one, can be learned through sophisticated statistical learning mechanisms.
- The
- argument from poverty of the stimulus
- is logically flawed due to overlooking learners' sensitivity to input patterns.
- Bayesian learning provides a viable computational account for acquiring complex linguistic structures.
Outlook:
- Re-evaluating innate linguistic hypotheses in light of robust learning mechanisms.
- Developing more nuanced computational models of language acquisition.
- Investigating the role of statistical learning in other areas of cognitive development.
Related Concept Videos
01:12Hindsight Biases
Hindsight bias leads you to believe that the event you just experienced was predictable, even though it really wasn’t. In other words, you knew all along that things would turn out the way they did. Can you relate this to the phrase "Hindsight is 20/20" now?
01:14Avoidance Learning and Learned Helplessness
Avoidance learning and learned helplessness are critical concepts in understanding behavioral responses to negative stimuli.
Avoidance learning occurs when an organism learns that a specific behavior can prevent an unpleasant outcome. For example, a student who receives a bad grade may start studying harder to avoid future poor grades. This behavior persists even when the negative outcome is no longer present. Avoidance learning is powerful because it maintains behavior in the absence of the...
Avoidance learning occurs when an organism learns that a specific behavior can prevent an unpleasant outcome. For example, a student who receives a bad grade may start studying harder to avoid future poor grades. This behavior persists even when the negative outcome is no longer present. Avoidance learning is powerful because it maintains behavior in the absence of the...
01:21Cognitive Learning
Cognitive learning is based on purposive behavior, incidental learning, and insight learning.
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...
01:22Purposive Learning
E. C. Tolman emphasized the purposiveness of behavior — the idea that much of our behavior is goal-directed. For instance, employees who aim for a promotion work diligently to meet their targets. Tolman argued that when classical conditioning and operant conditioning occur, the organism acquires certain expectations. In classical conditioning, a child might fear a dog because they expect it to bite. In operant conditioning, a person might consistently work overtime because they expect a bonus...
01:12Observational Learning
Albert Bandura's observational learning, also known as imitation or modeling, occurs when a person observes and imitates another's behavior. It is a quicker process than operant conditioning. A well-known example is the Bobo doll study, where children who saw an adult acting aggressively towards the doll were more likely to act aggressively when left alone, compared to those who observed a nonaggressive adult. Many psychologists view observational learning as a form of latent learning because...
01:22Eyewitness Memory
Eyewitness memory refers to the recollection of events by someone who has directly witnessed them, often serving as critical evidence in legal settings. This type of memory is commonly used in criminal cases where a witness describes details like a suspect's appearance, clothing, or behavior during a crime. However, despite its perceived reliability, eyewitness memory is prone to significant errors.
One such error is memory distortion, which occurs because human memory does not function like a...
One such error is memory distortion, which occurs because human memory does not function like a...