When words and pointing compete: Young children's referential comprehension under uncertainty

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Linguistic Development
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Children's ability to resolve referential uncertainty is crucial for effective communication.
• Understanding how young children integrate verbal and nonverbal cues is key to deciphering communicative development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how 2- to 4-year-old children resolve referential uncertainty.
• To examine the roles of ostensive pointing, verbal labeling, communicative context, and child characteristics in object selection.

Main Methods:

• Two studies were conducted using a modified version of Grassmann and Tomasello's (2010) paradigm.
• Experimental conditions included Familiar-Familiar and Novel-Familiar object presentations.
• Object selection behaviors (first touches, takeaways) and verbal responses were recorded.

Main Results:

• Ostensive pointing emerged as a more potent cue than verbal labeling in guiding children's object selections.
• Children exhibited modifications in object selection (17-34%) or verbal responses (13-40%) when faced with conflicting cues.
• Preactivation of familiar object labels and individual factors (age, selective attention) influenced referential strategies.

Conclusions:

• Referential resolution in young children is complex, involving the integration of both verbal and nonverbal communicative signals.
• Findings offer insights into the nuances of early communicative development and potential avenues for support.