A changing role for transitional probabilities in word learning during the transition to toddlerhood?

Lany, Jill ORCID: 0000-0001-8077-6244, Karaman, Ferhat and Hay, Jessica F (2024) A changing role for transitional probabilities in word learning during the transition to toddlerhood? Developmental psychology, 60 (3). pp. 567-581.

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/dev0001641

Abstract

Infants' sensitivity to transitional probabilities (TPs) supports language development by facilitating mapping high-TP (HTP) words to meaning, at least up to 18 months of age. Here we tested whether this HTP advantage holds as lexical development progresses, and infants become better at forming word-referent mappings. Two groups of 24-month-olds (<i>N</i> = 64 and all White, tested in the United States) first listened to Italian sentences containing HTP and low-TP (LTP) words. We then used HTP and LTP words, and sequences that violated these statistics, in a mapping task. Infants learned HTP and LTP words equally well. They also learned LTP violations as well as LTP words, but learned HTP words better than HTP violations. Thus, by 2 years of age sensitivity to TPs does not lead to an HTP advantage but rather to poor mapping of violations of HTP word forms. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Humans, Probability, Language, Language Development, Learning, Verbal Learning, Speech Perception, Infant
Divisions:	Faculty of Health and Life Sciences Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Population Health
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	11 Mar 2024 11:54
Last Modified:	11 Mar 2024 11:56
DOI:	10.1037/dev0001641
Open Access URL:	https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0001641
Related URLs:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3179254