JHU VCL - Halberda2006Demo

Halberda (2006)
Is this a dax which I see before me? Use of the logical argument disjunctive syllogism supports word-learning in children and adults

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Abstract

Many authors have argued that word-learning constraints help guide a word-learner’s hypotheses as to the meaning of a newly heard word. One such class of constraints derives from the observation that word-learners of all ages prefer to map novel labels to novel objects in situations of referential ambiguity. In this paper I use eye-tracking to document the mental computations that support this word-learning strategy. Adults and preschoolers saw images of known and novel objects, and were asked to find the referent of known and novel labels. Experiment 1 shows that adults systematically reject a known distractor (e.g. brush) before mapping a novel label (e.g. ‘‘dax’’) to a novel object. This is consistent with the proposal that participants worked through a Disjunctive Syllogism (i.e. Process-of-Elimination) to motivate the mapping of the novel label to the novel object. Experiment 2 shows that processing is similar for adults performing an implicit Disjunctive Syllogism (e.g. ‘‘the winner is the dax’’) and an explicit Disjunctive Syllogism (e.g. ‘‘the winner is not the iron’’). Exper- iment 3 reveals that similar processes govern preschoolers’ mapping of novel labels. Taken together, these results suggest that word-learners use Disjunctive Syllogism to motivate the mapping of novel labels to novel objects.

Known Label Trials

On target-fixated known label trials, children happened to be fixating the known target (door) at the time of label onset (“door”). In general, children continued fixating this target and pointed without double-checking the distractor (cup). On distractor-fixated known label trials, children happened to be fixating the distractor object (pot) at the time of known label onset (“bed”). Children quickly shifted gaze to the target and pointed to the target.

Novel Label Trials

These are the critical trials. Children tended to fixate both the novel target (blick) and the known distractor (kite) before hearing the novel label (“blick”). However, after hearing this novel label, children systematically switched gaze back to the known object distractor (kite), rejected it, and returned gaze to the novel target (blick) (a “double-check”). Reaction time to point suggests that it is the rejection of the known object distractor (kite), and not information about the novel target (blick), that predicts childrens’ rate to map a novel label to a novel object. Once the child has decided to reject the known object distractor (kite) he quickly shifts his gaze back to the novel target (blick) and points.

Demos

Halberda, J., Ly, R., Wilmer, J., Naiman, D., & Germine, L. (2012). Number Sense across the lifespan as revealed by a massive internet-based sample. PNAS [Demo]

Spiegel, C., & Halberda, J. Rapid fast-mapping abilities in 2-year-olds. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology (2010). [Demo]

Halberda, J., Mazzocco, M. & Feigenson, L. (2008). Individual differences in non-verbal number acuity correlate with maths achievement. Nature, 455, 665-668. [Demo]

Halberda, J. & Feigenson, L. (2008). Developmental Change in the Acuity of the Number Sense: The Approximate Number System in 3-, 4-, 5-, and 6-Year-Olds and Adults. Developmental Psychology, 44 (5). [Demo]

Halberda, J., Taing, L. & Lidz, J. (2008). The development of “most” comprehension and its potential dependence on counting-ability in preschoolers. Language Learning and Development. [Demo]

Halberda, J., Sires, S.F., & Feigenson, L. (2006). Multiple spatially-overlapping sets can be enumerated in parallel. Psychological Science. 17 (7), 572-576. [Demo]

Halberda, J. (2006). Is this a dax which I see before me? Use of the logical argument disjunctive syllogism supports word-learning in children and adults. Cognitive Psychology, 53(4), 310-344. [Demo]

Nichols, S. & Halberda, J. (in preparation). Modal reasoning in preschoolers. [Demo]

Halberda (2006) Is this a dax which I see before me? Use of the logical argument disjunctive syllogism supports word-learning in children and adults

VCL Home

Halberda (2006)
Is this a dax which I see before me? Use of the logical argument disjunctive syllogism supports word-learning in children and adults