在双语婴儿中,多种语音结构的灵活学习
Agnes Melinda Kovács1, Jacques Mehler
1Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati-SISSA, Via Beirut 4, 34014 Trieste, Italy. agneskovacs@mtapi.hu
概括
与单语婴儿相比,双语婴儿表现出更强的学习灵活性. 这表明,双语可能通过提高幼儿的认知灵活性来加速语言学习.
科学领域:
- 发展心理学 发展心理学
- 语言学的语言学.
- 认知科学 认知科学
背景情况:
- 儿童通常在可预测的发育时间线内获得语言.
- 双语儿童面临着学习两种语言的挑战,这似乎是语言输入的翻倍.
- 尽管语言负载增加,但双语儿童的语言学习速度往往与单语同龄人的速度相匹配.
研究的目的:
- 为了研究在单语和双语婴儿中具有相似的语言学习速度的基础上的认知机制.
- 为了确定早期双语接触是否影响婴儿关于语音结构的学习灵活性.
主要方法:
- 一项涉及12个月大的婴儿的研究,比较单语和双语群体.
- 婴儿们面临的任务需要同时学习两个不同的语音规律.
- 对行为反应进行了监测,以评估每个规律的学习结果.
主要成果:
- 双语婴儿成功地学会了同时呈现的语言规律.
- 相比之下,单语婴儿只学会了两个呈现的规律中的一个.
- 这表明双语婴儿在发言之前就具有更高的学习灵活性.
结论:
- 早期双语接触可以提高婴儿的认知灵活性.
- 这种增加的灵活性可能解释了双语儿童如何以与单语儿童学习语言相比的速度掌握两种语言.
- 双语可能会从很小的时候就培养更有效的学习机制.
相关概念视频
Language Development
Children master language quickly and with relative ease, supported by both biological predisposition and reinforcement. B. F. Skinner (1957) proposed that language is learned through reinforcement, while Noam Chomsky (1965) argued that language acquisition mechanisms are biologically determined.
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...
Language and Cognition
Language serves as a bridge between ideas and communication, influencing how individuals perceive and interact with the world. Psychologists have long debated whether language shapes thought or vice versa. This discussion gained grip with Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf in the 1940s, who proposed that language determines thought, a concept known as linguistic determinism. They suggested that the vocabulary and structure of a language influence how its speakers think and perceive reality.
Components of Language
Language, whether spoken, signed, or written, consists of specific components: lexicon and grammar. The lexicon is the vocabulary of a language, comprising its words. Grammar is the set of rules used to convey meaning through the lexicon. For example, English grammar adds “-ed” to most verbs to indicate past tense. Words are formed by combining phonemes, which are the basic sound units of a language. Different languages have different sets of phonemes (e.g., “ah” vs. “eh”). Phonemes combine to...
Lateralization
Brain lateralization refers to the division of mental processes and functions between the two hemispheres of the brain, a phenomenon that optimizes neural efficiency and underpins complex abilities in humans. This specialization allows each hemisphere to perform tasks where it has a comparative advantage, facilitating more refined cognitive capabilities across different domains.
Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language
Language is a system of communication that allows the expression of thoughts, ideas, and feelings. The brain processes language in both hemispheres.
Language formation and comprehension take place in the dominant hemisphere. The dominant hemisphere is responsible for understanding the meaning of spoken, written, or sign language, as well as the ability to communicate. For most people, the left hemisphere is the dominant one. The right hemisphere, then, gives tone and emotional context to the...
Language formation and comprehension take place in the dominant hemisphere. The dominant hemisphere is responsible for understanding the meaning of spoken, written, or sign language, as well as the ability to communicate. For most people, the left hemisphere is the dominant one. The right hemisphere, then, gives tone and emotional context to the...
Purposive Learning
E. C. Tolman emphasized the purposiveness of behavior — the idea that much of our behavior is goal-directed. For instance, employees who aim for a promotion work diligently to meet their targets. Tolman argued that when classical conditioning and operant conditioning occur, the organism acquires certain expectations. In classical conditioning, a child might fear a dog because they expect it to bite. In operant conditioning, a person might consistently work overtime because they expect a bonus...


