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Related Experiment Videos

Children's understanding of the relation between referential knowledge and referential behavior

B P Ackerman1

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Delaware, Newark 19716.

Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
|December 1, 1993
PubMed
Summary
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Children often confuse spoken words with their intended meaning. This study reveals that this "say-mean confusion" in young children depends on context and how they process information and behavior.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Cognitive Science
  • Linguistics

Background:

  • Young children frequently exhibit difficulties in distinguishing between literal utterances and intended meanings in communication.
  • Understanding referential communication is crucial for developing effective social and linguistic skills.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the specific aspects of referential communication that kindergarten, second, and fourth graders find confusing.
  • To determine how situational factors influence children's understanding of what is said versus what is meant.

Main Methods:

  • Four experiments were conducted, manipulating the source of referential knowledge (contextual details, utterance content).
  • Children assessed the sufficiency of knowledge for referent identification and its origin (utterance alone).

Related Experiment Videos

  • Experiments examined confusion between internal representations, referential behavior, and real-world referents.

    • Main Results:

    • Children's confusion between what is said and meant varies significantly with situational factors.
    • Judgments of listener knowledge were influenced by both internal information representations and external referential behavior.
    • The study identified specific age-related patterns in how children assess communicative knowledge.

    Conclusions:

    • Children's say-mean confusion is not a uniform phenomenon but is modulated by context.
    • Developmental changes in cognitive processes underlie children's ability to accurately assess communicative knowledge.
    • Interventions aimed at improving referential communication should consider these nuanced factors.