Repetition Versus Variability in Verb Learning: Sometimes Less Is More.

Saved in:

Bibliographic Details
Title:	Repetition Versus Variability in Verb Learning: Sometimes Less Is More.
Authors:	Horvath, Sabrina¹ horvaths@musc.edu, Arunachalam, Sudha²
Source:	Journal of Speech, Language & Hearing Research. Nov2021, Vol. 64 Issue 11, p4235-4249. 15p. 1 Color Photograph, 4 Charts, 2 Graphs.
Subject Terms:	Repetition (Learning process), Verbs, Nouns, Pronouns, Sentences (Grammar), Comparative grammar, Learning, Language acquisition, Toddlers, Linguistics, Regression analysis, Word deafness, Research funding
Abstract:	Purpose: This study examined whether 2-year-olds are better able to acquire novel verb meanings when they appear in varying linguistic contexts, including both content nouns and pronouns, as compared to when the contexts are consistent, including only content nouns. Additionally, differences between typically developing toddlers and late talkers were explored. Method: Forty-seven English-acquiring 2-year-olds (n = 14 late talkers, n = 33 typically developing) saw scenes of actors manipulating objects. These actions were labeled with novel verbs. In the varied condition, children heard sentences containing both content nouns and pronouns (e.g., "The girl is ziffing the truck. She is ziffing it!"). In the consistent condition, children heard the verb an equal number of times, but only with content nouns (e.g., "The girl is ziffing the truck. The girl is ziffing the truck!"). At test, children were shown two new scenes and were asked to find the novel verb's referent. Children's eye gazewas analyzed as ameasure of learning. Results: Mixed-effects regression analyses revealed that children looked more toward the correct scene in the consistent condition than the varied condition. This difference was more pronounced for late talkers than for typically developing children. Conclusion: To acquire an initial representation of a new verb's meaning, children, particularly late talkers, benefit more from hearing the verb in consistent linguistic contexts than in varying contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
	Copyright of Journal of Speech, Language & Hearing Research is the property of American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database:	Education Research Complete

Description
Abstract:	Purpose: This study examined whether 2-year-olds are better able to acquire novel verb meanings when they appear in varying linguistic contexts, including both content nouns and pronouns, as compared to when the contexts are consistent, including only content nouns. Additionally, differences between typically developing toddlers and late talkers were explored. Method: Forty-seven English-acquiring 2-year-olds (n = 14 late talkers, n = 33 typically developing) saw scenes of actors manipulating objects. These actions were labeled with novel verbs. In the varied condition, children heard sentences containing both content nouns and pronouns (e.g., "The girl is ziffing the truck. She is ziffing it!"). In the consistent condition, children heard the verb an equal number of times, but only with content nouns (e.g., "The girl is ziffing the truck. The girl is ziffing the truck!"). At test, children were shown two new scenes and were asked to find the novel verb's referent. Children's eye gazewas analyzed as ameasure of learning. Results: Mixed-effects regression analyses revealed that children looked more toward the correct scene in the consistent condition than the varied condition. This difference was more pronounced for late talkers than for typically developing children. Conclusion: To acquire an initial representation of a new verb's meaning, children, particularly late talkers, benefit more from hearing the verb in consistent linguistic contexts than in varying contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:	10924388
DOI:	10.1044/2021_JSLHR-21-00091