Learning words over time : the role of stimulus repetition in mutual exclusivity

Mather, Emily; Plunkett, K

Abstract

During the second year of life, infants develop a preference to attach novel labels to novel objects. This behavior is commonly known as "mutual exclusivity" (Markman, 1989). In an intermodal preferential looking experiment with 19.5- and 22.5-month-olds, stimulus repetition was critical for observing mutual exclusivity. On the first occasion that a novel label was presented with 1 familiar object and 1 novel object, looking behavior was unsystematic. However, on reexposure to the same stimuli, 22.5-month-olds looked preferentially at the novel object prior to the re-presentation of the novel label. These findings suggest a powerful memory mechanism for novel labels and objects, enabling mutual exclusivity to emerge across repeated exposures to potential referents.

Citation

Mather, E., & Plunkett, K. Learning words over time : the role of stimulus repetition in mutual exclusivity. Infancy, 14(1), 60-76. https://doi.org/10.1080/15250000802569702

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Deposit Date: Nov 13, 2014
• Journal: Infancy
• Print ISSN: 1525-0008
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 14
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 60-76
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15250000802569702
• Keywords: REF 2014 submission!
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/464745
• Contract Date: Nov 13, 2014