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Acquisition of singular-plural morphology.
Justin N Wood1, Sid Kouider, Susan Carey
1Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, USA. justin.wood@usc.edu
Developmental Psychology
|February 13, 2009
Summary
Infants aged 24 months, but not 20 months, understood number from spoken English words. However, they did not grasp number from noun endings alone, indicating early language comprehension development.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Linguistics
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Understanding singular-plural distinctions is crucial for language acquisition.
- Previous research indicates varying timelines for mastering grammatical morphology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how infants comprehend number based on English singular-plural morphology.
- To determine the age at which infants use verbal number cues.
Main Methods:
- A manual search paradigm was employed with 20- and 24-month-old infants.
- Infants heard descriptions of objects in a hidden box, varying in number.
- Search behavior was analyzed to assess comprehension of number cues.
Main Results:
- Twenty-four-month-olds' search patterns were influenced by verbal number descriptions.
- Infants did not alter search behavior when number was signaled only by noun endings.
- Comprehension of number from singular-plural morphology alone was not evident at these ages.
Conclusions:
- Infants develop the ability to interpret number from explicit verbal cues around 24 months.
- Mastery of number comprehension from noun morphology alone develops later.
- These findings contribute to understanding the developmental trajectory of English plural marking comprehension.
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