Toddlers' attention to intentions-in-action in learning novel action words

Bibliographic Data

ID9785558
AuthorsDiane Poulin‐duboi (0000-0001-8966-875X, Concordia University, corresponding author), Diane Poulin-Dubois, James N Forbes
Year2002
Volume38
Issue1
Pages104-114
Publication date2002-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueDevelopmental Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0012-1649 • E-ISSN: 1939-0599
PublisherAmerican Psychological Association (APA) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1037//0012-1649.38.1.104
PMID11806694
OpenAlexW2072283820
LanguageEN
Citations received8
References cited4

Toddlers' ability to use cues such as eye gaze and gestures to infer the meaning of novel action words was examined. In Experiment 1, 21- and 27-month-olds were taught labels for pairs of videotaped actions that were either similar or dissimilar in appearance. Similar actions differed mainly in the presence of behavioral cues related to the agents' intentions (e.g., extended arms). Only the older children were able to learn the labels for the similar actions. In Experiment 2, 3 new pairs of labels (2 similar, 1 dissimilar) were taught to children in the same age range. Eye gaze and gestures were the main features distinguishing the similar events. The same developmental effect was observed, with only the older children showing learning of both types of verbs and the younger children being impeded by the appearance of the actions. The results show that by the middle of the 2nd year, children begin to consider intentions-in-action when acquiring the meaning of novel action verbs.

Action (physics · Cognitive psychology · Developmental psychology · Gaze · Gesture · Linguistics · Meaning (existential · Child and Animal Learning Development · Communication · Hearing Impairment and Communication · Language Development and Disorders · Psychology

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