Difficulties in Nonadjacent Dependency Learning in French-Learning Toddlers
Julie Bodard1, Thierry Nazzi2, Géraldine Jean-Charles1
1Institut des Sciences Logopédiques, Maison des Sciences du Langage et de la Communication - Université de Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
Summary
French-learning toddlers showed limited ability to learn nonadjacent dependencies (NADs) in an artificial language task. While 27-month-olds exhibited some learning patterns, further research is needed to understand NAD acquisition in young children.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Science
- Developmental Psychology
- Linguistics
Background:
- Statistical learning, the ability to detect environmental patterns, is crucial for language development.
- Detecting nonadjacent dependencies (NADs) is particularly linked to morphosyntactic development.
- Research on NAD acquisition in French-learning children using artificial languages is scarce.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the acquisition of NADs in 18- and 27-month-old French-learning children.
- To adapt an artificial grammar learning study to an eye-tracking paradigm.
- To explore developmental differences in NAD processing.
Main Methods:
- An artificial grammar learning study using a central fixation eye-tracking paradigm.
- Familiarization with three-element strings (e.g., /na sokɛ fib/).
- Monitoring looking times for grammatical versus ungrammatical strings in 18- and 27-month-olds.
Main Results:
- No significant effect of grammaticality was found overall at 18 or 27 months.
- At 27 months, a decrease in gaze duration for ungrammatical strings was observed between blocks.
- A trend towards longer looking at grammatical stimuli in the second block at 27 months suggests potential early learning.
Conclusions:
- Results did not fully replicate findings from studies with English-learning children.
- Age and language background differences, along with methodological factors, may influence NAD acquisition.
- Further research is necessary to refine tasks and understand the developmental trajectory of NAD processing.
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