Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 15, 2026
15:01
Windowing Chicken Eggs for Developmental Studies
Published on: October 1, 2007
28.8K
The Effects of Animacy and Syntax on Priming: A Developmental Study.
Leone Buckle1, Elena Lieven1, Anna L Theakston1
1ESRC International Centre for Language and Communicative Development (LuCiD), School of Health Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.
Frontiers in Psychology
|January 13, 2018
Summary
Children
Area of Science:
- Psycholinguistics
- Developmental Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Sentence production involves semantic and syntactic processing.
- The interaction between semantic (animacy) and syntactic (dative structures) information, and its developmental trajectory, is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how animacy-semantic role mappings influence syntactic structure choice (structural priming) and noun order in sentence production.
- To examine developmental differences in these processes between 3-year-olds, 5-year-olds, and adults.
Main Methods:
- 143 participants (3-year-olds, 5-year-olds, adults) described animations.
- Experimenter provided prime sentences (double-object or prepositional dative) with varying animacy-semantic role mappings.
- Participant responses were analyzed for syntactic structure and noun animacy order.
Main Results:
- All age groups exhibited structural priming.
- Animacy moderated structural priming in 3-year-olds when prime-target mappings matched.
- Animacy influenced double-object dative production based on prime-target mapping match/mismatch.
- Animacy noun order priming was observed in 3- and 5-year-olds with matched mappings.
- Adults' sentence production was not influenced by animacy or its interaction with syntax.
Conclusions:
- Animacy cues can independently affect word order and interact with syntax in sentence production.
- These semantic-syntactic interactions are subject to significant developmental changes.
- Theories of language acquisition and processing must incorporate developmental shifts in semantic and syntactic information roles.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Introduction to Developmental Psychology
1.7K
Developmental psychology explores the changes and continuities in human abilities throughout life, encompassing physical, cognitive, linguistic, and social dimensions. Human development is not restricted to growth, but includes aspects of decline, particularly in physical abilities as individuals age. Developmental psychologists seek to understand how people change as they age and how their mental and social skills evolve.Developmental MilestonesA key concept in developmental psychology is...
1.7K
01:29Three Developmental Domains
1.2K
Human development is typically examined across three main domains: physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional. These domains represent the significant areas of change and continuity throughout the lifespan, from infancy to late adulthood.
Physical Development
Physical processes, also known as maturation, encompass the biological changes that occur across an individual's life. These changes begin with genetic inheritance and continue through various stages, including growth in height and weight,...
Physical Development
Physical processes, also known as maturation, encompass the biological changes that occur across an individual's life. These changes begin with genetic inheritance and continue through various stages, including growth in height and weight,...
1.2K
02:19Buffer Effectiveness
55.6K
Buffer solutions do not have an unlimited capacity to keep the pH relatively constant . Instead, the ability of a buffer solution to resist changes in pH relies on the presence of appreciable amounts of its conjugate weak acid-base pair. When enough strong acid or base is added to substantially lower the concentration of either member of the buffer pair, the buffering action within the solution is compromised.
The buffer capacity is the amount of acid or base that can be added to a given volume...
The buffer capacity is the amount of acid or base that can be added to a given volume...
55.6K
03:26Framing Effects
8.0K
Information is everywhere and its presentation—such as how and when items are presented—can impact our perceptions and decisions surrounding the info. This broad concept umbrellas framing effects—influences that occur due to the way information is framed in its appearance, whether it’s purely the order or the specific wording of a message. Let’s take a look at numerous ways in which two versions of something can objectively say the same thing, yet we respond in...
8.0K
02:59Biological Effects of Radiation
18.1K
All radioactive nuclides emit high-energy particles or electromagnetic waves. When this radiation encounters living cells, it can cause heating, break chemical bonds, or ionize molecules. The most serious biological damage results when these radioactive emissions fragment or ionize molecules. For example, α and β particles emitted from nuclear decay reactions possess much higher energies than ordinary chemical bond energies. When these particles strike and penetrate matter, they...
18.1K
01:21Self-Awareness and Its Effects
318
Self-awareness is a psychological state in which the individual becomes the focal point of their attention. This inward focus transforms the self into an object of contemplation and assessment, influencing how individuals perceive their actions and their alignment with personal and societal standards.Triggers and Contexts for Self-AwarenessSelf-awareness can be activated by external stimuli that make individuals visually or audibly aware of themselves, such as mirrors, cameras, or recordings.
318