The Infant's View Redefines the Problem of Referential Uncertainty in Early Word Learning
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-28-2021
Publication Source
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volume Number
118
Issue Number
52
ISSN
00278424
E-ISSN
10916490
Article Number
e2107019118
Abstract
The learning of first object names is deemed a hard problem due to the uncertainty inherent in mapping a heard name to the intended referent in a cluttered and variable world. However, human infants readily solve this problem. Despite considerable theoretical discussion, relatively little is known about the uncertainty infants face in the real world. We used head-mounted eye tracking during parent-infant toy play and quantified the uncertainty by measuring the distribution of infant attention to the potential referents when a parent named both familiar and unfamiliar toy objects. The results show that infant gaze upon hearing an object name is often directed to a single referent which is equally likely to be a wrong competitor or the intended target. This bimodal gaze distribution clarifies and redefines the uncertainty problem and constrains possible solutions.
Keywords
Development, Infancy, Language, Statistical learning
Recommended Citation
Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Volume 118, Issue 52, December 28, 2021.
