Parallels Between Action‐Object Mapping and Word‐Object Mapping in Young Children |
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Authors: | Kevin J Riggs Emily Mather Grace Hyde Andrew Simpson |
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Institution: | 1. Department of PsychologyUniversity of Hull;2. Department of PsychologyUniversity of Essex |
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Abstract: | Across a series of four experiments with 3‐ to 4‐year‐olds we demonstrate how cognitive mechanisms supporting noun learning extend to the mapping of actions to objects. In Experiment 1 (n = 61) the demonstration of a novel action led children to select a novel, rather than a familiar object. In Experiment 2 (n = 78) children exhibited long‐term retention of novel action‐object mappings and extended these actions to other category members. In Experiment 3 (n = 60) we showed that children formed an accurate sensorimotor record of the novel action. In Experiment 4 (n = 54) we demonstrate limits on the types of actions mapped to novel objects. Overall these data suggest that certain aspects of noun mapping share common processing with action mapping and support a domain‐general account of word learning. |
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Keywords: | Fast mapping Actions Language Word learning |
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