Case Clozed
Young Children Can Explicitly Predict Upcoming Words in a Naturalistic, Story-based Cloze Task
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20366285 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Briony Waite (0009-0001-2730-2522, Harvard University, corresponding author), Anthony Yacovone (0000-0001-5151-4472, Harvard University), Jesse Snedeker (0000-0002-3658-2888, Harvard University) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Pages | 1-25 |
| Publication date | 2025-10-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Child Language (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0305-0009 • E-ISSN: 1469-7602 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0305000925100251 |
| PMID | 41030085 |
| OpenAlex | W4414684610 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 53 |
Prediction is a central feature of mature language comprehension, but little is known about how and when it develops. This study investigates whether lexical prediction emerges before seven using a novel, naturalistic cloze task. Five and six-year-old children listened to a storybook and occasionally guessed which word might come next. We selected 180 words from the story that were shown to be more or less predictable in a prior cloze norming task with adults. We found that children frequently guessed the correct word or provided an alternative that was semantically related to the target, demonstrating an ability to use the context to explicitly predict upcoming words. Six-year-olds were more accurate than 5-year-olds. These findings show prediction is present (but still improving) in early childhood, motivating future work on the role of prediction in children’s comprehension and learning. Finally, we demonstrate that it is feasible to collect cloze values from children
Comprehension · Language development · Task Analysis · Language Development and Disorders · Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism · Reading and Literacy Development
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| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |