Infants' acceptance of phonotactically illegal word forms as object labels
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 28, 2026

Defining the Role Of Language in Infants' Object Categorization with Eye-tracking Paradigms
Published on: February 8, 2019
Ena Vukatana1, Suzanne Curtin1, Susan A Graham1
1Department of Psychology,University of Calgary.
Abstract:
We investigated 16- and 20-month-olds' flexibility in mapping phonotactically illegal words to objects. Using an associative word-learning task, infants were presented with a training phase that either highlighted or did not highlight the referential status of a novel label. Infants were then habituated to two novel objects, each paired with a phonotactically illegal Czech word. When referential cues were provided, 16-, but not 20-month-olds, formed word-object mappings. In the absence of referential cues, infants of both ages failed to map the novel words. These findings illustrate the complex interplay between infants' developing sound system and their word learning abilities.
More Related Videos
05:35Experience is Instrumental in Tuning a Link Between Language and Cognition: Evidence from 6- to 7- Month-Old Infants' Object Categorization
Published on: April 19, 2017
06:07Exploring Infant Sensitivity to Visual Language using Eye Tracking and the Preferential Looking Paradigm
Published on: May 15, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Language Development
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...
The Nativist Approach
Imprinting
Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development
Exploration...
Tip-of-the-Tongue Phenomenon
Pharynx
Nasopharynx
The nasopharynx, bordered by the conchae of the nasal cavity, serves exclusively as an air conduit. In its superior region, the pharyngeal tonsils or adenoids are located. These tonsils are clusters of lymphoid reticular tissue akin to a lymph node. The precise...