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The Contrast Theory of negative input
1Psychology Department, University of London, Surrey, UK. M.Saxton@RHBNC.ac.uk
Journal of Child Language
|February 1, 1997
Summary
Children learn grammatical errors more effectively through negative evidence, which highlights the contrast between their mistakes and correct forms. This study shows negative input aids language acquisition better than positive input alone.
Area of Science:
- Child language acquisition
- Developmental linguistics
- Psycholinguistics
Background:
- Defining "corrective input" is crucial for understanding child language development.
- Previous definitions of negative evidence lack empirical viability.
- The Contrast Theory of negative input offers a new definition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the immediate effects of negative evidence versus positive input on language acquisition.
- To test the Contrast Theory's definition of negative evidence.
- To examine how children acquire novel irregular past tense forms.
Main Methods:
- A within-subjects experimental design.
- 36 children (mean age 5 years) participated.
- Comparison of negative evidence and positive input effects on learning six novel irregular past tense forms.
Main Results:
- Children reproduced the correct irregular past tense form more often after negative evidence.
- Children persisted with fewer errors following negative evidence compared to positive input.
- Negative evidence demonstrated a more immediate impact on acquisition.
Conclusions:
- The Contrast Theory's definition of negative evidence is empirically supported.
- Negative evidence, by highlighting form contrasts, facilitates the rejection of erroneous linguistic forms.
- This finding has implications for understanding how children learn grammar and the role of corrective feedback.