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Related Experiment Videos

Relevance and definition

R Watson1

  • 1Department of Educational Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.

Journal of Child Language
|February 1, 1995
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Children use superordinate terms in definitions when these terms offer more inferences, aligning with relevance theory. This suggests children aim for clear communication with minimal cognitive effort.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Development
  • Linguistics
  • Psychology

Background:

  • Relevance theory proposes communication is guided by the principle of optimal relevance.
  • Children's understanding and use of abstract concepts, like superordinate terms, are key developmental milestones.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if relevance theory predicts the use of superordinate terms in children's definitions.
  • To explore factors influencing children's choice to use superordinate versus basic-level terms.

Main Methods:

  • 206 children (aged 5-10) provided definitions for 16 basic-level and 4 superordinate words.
  • Definitions were analyzed for the use of superordinate terms across natural kind and artefact domains.

Main Results:

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  • Superordinate terms were used more frequently when they facilitated greater inferential understanding.
  • Usage was higher in natural kind domains compared to artefact domains.
  • Superordinate terms appeared earlier in definitions when semantically complex.

Conclusions:

  • Children's use of superordinate terms aligns with relevance theory's principle of optimal relevance.
  • Children strategically employ superordinate terms to maximize communicative efficiency and minimize cognitive load.