Sampling to learn words: Adults and children sample words that reduce referential ambiguity.

ABSTRACT: How do learners gather new information during word learning? One possibility is that learners selectively sample items that help them reduce uncertainty about new word meanings. In a series of cross-situational word learning tasks with adults and children, we manipulated the referential ambiguity of label-object pairs experienced during training and subsequently investigated which words participants chose to sample additional information about. In the first experiment, adult learners chose to receive additional training on object-label associations that reduce referential ambiguity during cross-situational word learning. This ambiguity-reduction strategy was related to improved test performance. In two subsequent experiments, we found that, at least in some contexts, children (3-8 years of

SUBMITTER: Zettersten M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8096649 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature