Combining Cues in Word Learning

项目总结/摘要 当孩子们进入学校的时候，他们的词汇量已经有了巨大的变化。这些 早期的差异预示着重要的长期结果，如学术成功。一个新兴的研究机构 表明儿童的词汇量受到他们所听到的语言的数量和质量的影响。 回家虽然目前的举措试图增加针对儿童的演讲量，但同样， 重要的是提高演讲的质量。当孩子们听到一个新奇的单词时，他们经常会 周围有很多潜在的参照物。除非他们能识别出新单词的正确指代，否则他们 不会从增加语言接触中受益。本申请中提出的研究将研究如何 3岁的孩子整合多种类型的线索来识别新单词的正确指代。具体目标1将 研究合作线索是否对单词学习有附加效应。在研究1中，孩子们将看到一个 一个成年人在另一个潜在的指涉物存在的情况下标记一个新物体的视频。孩子都能 使用说话者的凝视，或已知名称的熟悉物体的存在，或两者都有线索来确定 小说中的正确指代。儿童对目标物体的注视将在三个实验中进行比较 条件，以确定是否存在的两个线索，提高他们的能力，以确定正确的指示。 随后的试验没有任何线索将测试儿童的能力，学习和保留新的对象的名称。 具体目标2将决定孩子们是否能将联合收割机模糊的线索结合起来学习新单词。在研究2中， 新的对象将在存在三个其他潜在的指示物的情况下被标记。与研究1不同，每个单词- 学习线索本身是不够的--排除了一些但不是所有的潜在参照物。孩子们只会 能够通过使用说话者的凝视和在场来确定新单词的正确所指 熟悉的物体和已知的名字。孩子们对目标物体的注视将被比作 确定他们是否成功地结合线索，以确定正确的指称。随后的审判， 任何线索都将测试儿童学习和记住新物体名称的能力。具体目标3将审查 儿童对单词学习线索的注意力的个体差异。在研究1和2中，儿童对 说话人的脸与熟悉的物体与已知的名称将进行比较，以确定：1）程度， 哪些个体儿童同等地或优先地注意两个线索，以及2）是否 儿童注意力分布的个体差异预测了他们在单词学习中的成功。结果 这些研究将大大推进我们对儿童如何结合联合收割机多种线索， 识别新词语的指称。这些发现将为父母如何改善孩子的 他们的讲话质量，以帮助儿童确定新的单词的参考，并将有助于当前 旨在促进儿童语言发展的举措。

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT By the time children enter school, there is already tremendous variability in the size of their vocabulary. These early differences predict important long-term outcomes like academic success. An emerging body of research indicates that children’s vocabulary size is influenced by the quantity and quality of language they hear at home. While current initiatives seek to increase the amount of speech directed to children, it is equally important to improve the quality of that speech. When children hear a novel word, they are frequently surrounded by many potential referents. Unless they can identify the correct referents for novel words, they will not benefit from increased language exposure. The research proposed in this application will examine how 3-year-olds integrate multiple types of cues to identify the correct referents of novel words. Specific Aim 1 will investigate whether cooperating cues have an additive effect on word learning. In Study 1, children will see a video of an adult labeling a novel object in the presence of another potential referent. Children will be able to use either the speaker’s gaze, the presence of a familiar object with a known name, or both cues to determine the correct referent of the novel word. Children’s fixations to the target object will be compared in all three conditions to determine whether the presence of both cues improves their ability to identify the correct referent. Subsequent trials without any cues will test children’s ability to learn and retain the novel object’s names. Specific Aim 2 will determine whether children can combine ambiguous cues to learn new words. In Study 2, novel objects will be labeled in the presence of three other potential referents. Unlike in Study 1, each word- learning cue will be insufficient on its own – eliminating some, but not all potential referents. Children will only be able to determine the correct referent of the novel word by using both the speaker’s gaze and the presence of familiar objects with known names. Children’s fixations to the target object will be compared to chance to determine whether they succeed in combining cues to identify the correct referent. Subsequent trials without any cues will test children’s ability to learn and retain the novel object’s names. Specific Aim 3 will examine individual differences in children’s attention to word-learning cues. In Studies 1 & 2, children’s fixations to the speaker’s face vs. the familiar objects with known names will be compared to determine: 1) the degree to which individual children attend to both cues equally or preferentially attend to one cue and 2) whether individual differences in the distribution of children’s attention predict their success in word learning. Results from these studies will significantly advance our understanding of how children combine multiple cues to identify the referents of novel words. These findings will provide insights into how parents can improve the quality of their speech to help children identify the referents of novel words and will contribute to current initiatives that seek to improve children’s language development.