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No Evidence for Language Benefits in Infant Relational Learning

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Title: No Evidence for Language Benefits in Infant Relational Learning
Language: English
Authors: Erin M. Anderson, Yin-Juei Chang, Susan Hespos, Dedre Gentner
Source: Grantee Submission. 2022 66.
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 17
Publication Date: 2022
Sponsoring Agency: National Science Foundation (NSF), Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences (BCS)
National Science Foundation (NSF), Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE)
Office of Naval Research (ONR) (DOD)
Institute of Education Sciences (ED)
Contract Number: 1423917
1729720
0541957
N000141612613
R305B140042
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Descriptors: Infants, Language Acquisition, Learning Processes, Object Permanence, Naming, Age Differences, Prediction, Developmental Stages, Puppetry, Prior Learning, Habituation, Task Analysis, Visual Stimuli, Novelty (Stimulus Dimension)
DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2021.101666
ISSN: 0163-6383
Abstract: Recent studies have found that infants show relational learning in the first year. Like older children, they can abstract relations such as "same" or "different" across a series of exemplars. For older children, language has a major impact on relational learning: labeling a shared relation facilitates learning, while labeling component objects can disrupt learning. Here we ask: Does language influence relational learning at 12 months? Experiment 1 (n = 64) examined the influence of a relational label on learning. Prior to the study, the infants saw three pairs of objects, all labeled "These are 'same'" or "These are 'different'". Experiment 2 (n = 48) examined the influence of object labels prior to the study, with three objects labeled (e.g., "This is a cup, this is a tower."). We compared the present results with those of Ferry et al. (2015), where infants abstracted "same" and "different" relations after undergoing a similar paradigm without prior labels. If the effects of language mirror those in older children, we would expect that infants given relational labels (Experiment 1) will be helped in abstracting "same" and "different" compared to infants not given labels and that infants given object labels (Experiment 2) will be hindered relative to those not given labels. We found no evidence for either prediction. In Experiment 1, infants who had heard relational labels did not benefit compared to infants who had received no labels (Ferry et al., 2015). In Experiment 2, infants who had heard object labels showed the same patterns as those in Ferry et al. (2015), suggesting that object labels had no effect. This finding is important because it highlights a key difference between the relational learning abilities of infants and those seen in older children, pointing to a protracted process by which language and relational learning become entwined.
Abstractor: As Provided
IES Funded: Yes
Entry Date: 2024
Accession Number: ED661903
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
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  Data: No Evidence for Language Benefits in Infant Relational Learning
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  Data: English
– Name: Author
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Erin+M%2E+Anderson%22">Erin M. Anderson</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Yin-Juei+Chang%22">Yin-Juei Chang</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Susan+Hespos%22">Susan Hespos</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Dedre+Gentner%22">Dedre Gentner</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Grantee+Submission%22"><i>Grantee Submission</i></searchLink>. 2022 66.
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  Data: Y
– Name: Pages
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  Data: 17
– Name: DatePubCY
  Label: Publication Date
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  Data: 2022
– Name: SourceSuprt
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  Group: SrcSuprt
  Data: National Science Foundation (NSF), Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences (BCS)<br />National Science Foundation (NSF), Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE)<br />Office of Naval Research (ONR) (DOD)<br />Institute of Education Sciences (ED)
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  Data: 1423917<br />1729720<br />0541957<br />N000141612613<br />R305B140042
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  Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Infants%22">Infants</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Language+Acquisition%22">Language Acquisition</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Learning+Processes%22">Learning Processes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Object+Permanence%22">Object Permanence</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Naming%22">Naming</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Age+Differences%22">Age Differences</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Prediction%22">Prediction</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Developmental+Stages%22">Developmental Stages</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Puppetry%22">Puppetry</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Prior+Learning%22">Prior Learning</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Habituation%22">Habituation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Task+Analysis%22">Task Analysis</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Visual+Stimuli%22">Visual Stimuli</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Novelty+%28Stimulus+Dimension%29%22">Novelty (Stimulus Dimension)</searchLink>
– Name: DOI
  Label: DOI
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  Data: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2021.101666
– Name: ISSN
  Label: ISSN
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  Data: 0163-6383
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Recent studies have found that infants show relational learning in the first year. Like older children, they can abstract relations such as "same" or "different" across a series of exemplars. For older children, language has a major impact on relational learning: labeling a shared relation facilitates learning, while labeling component objects can disrupt learning. Here we ask: Does language influence relational learning at 12 months? Experiment 1 (n = 64) examined the influence of a relational label on learning. Prior to the study, the infants saw three pairs of objects, all labeled "These are 'same'" or "These are 'different'". Experiment 2 (n = 48) examined the influence of object labels prior to the study, with three objects labeled (e.g., "This is a cup, this is a tower."). We compared the present results with those of Ferry et al. (2015), where infants abstracted "same" and "different" relations after undergoing a similar paradigm without prior labels. If the effects of language mirror those in older children, we would expect that infants given relational labels (Experiment 1) will be helped in abstracting "same" and "different" compared to infants not given labels and that infants given object labels (Experiment 2) will be hindered relative to those not given labels. We found no evidence for either prediction. In Experiment 1, infants who had heard relational labels did not benefit compared to infants who had received no labels (Ferry et al., 2015). In Experiment 2, infants who had heard object labels showed the same patterns as those in Ferry et al. (2015), suggesting that object labels had no effect. This finding is important because it highlights a key difference between the relational learning abilities of infants and those seen in older children, pointing to a protracted process by which language and relational learning become entwined.
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  Label: Abstractor
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  Data: As Provided
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  Data: Yes
– Name: DateEntry
  Label: Entry Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 2024
– Name: AN
  Label: Accession Number
  Group: ID
  Data: ED661903
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=ED661903
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        Value: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2021.101666
    Languages:
      – Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 17
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Infants
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Language Acquisition
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Learning Processes
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      – SubjectFull: Object Permanence
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      – SubjectFull: Naming
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      – SubjectFull: Age Differences
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      – SubjectFull: Prediction
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      – SubjectFull: Developmental Stages
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      – SubjectFull: Habituation
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      – SubjectFull: Task Analysis
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      – SubjectFull: Visual Stimuli
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      – SubjectFull: Novelty (Stimulus Dimension)
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: No Evidence for Language Benefits in Infant Relational Learning
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