Abstract
Vocabulary learning is deceptively hard, but toddlers often make it look easy. Prior theories proposed that children’s rapid acquisition of words is based on language-specific knowledge and constraints. In contrast, more recent work converges on the view that word learning proceeds via domain-general processes that are tuned to richly structured—not impoverished—input. We argue that new theoretical insights, coupled with methodological tools, have pushed the field toward an appreciation of simple, content-free processes working together as a system to support the acquisition of words. We illustrate this by considering three central phenomena of early language development: referential ambiguity, fast-mapping, and the vocabulary spurt.
Original language | English |
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Article number | e1421 |
Journal | Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews-Cognitive Science |
Volume | 8 |
Issue number | 1-2 |
Early online date | 1 Nov 2016 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Nov 2017 |
Profiles
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Larissa Samuelson
- Developmental Science - Member
- School of Psychology - Professor in Psychology
- Cognition, Action and Perception - Member
Person: Research Group Member, Academic, Teaching & Research