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Feature biases in early word learning : network distinctiveness predicts age of acquisition
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Engelthaler, Tomas and Hills, Thomas Trenholm (2017) Feature biases in early word learning : network distinctiveness predicts age of acquisition. Cognitive Science, 41 (Supplement 1). pp. 120-140. doi:10.1111/cogs.12350 ISSN 0364-0213.
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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cogs.12350
Abstract
Do properties of a word’s features influence the order of its acquisition in early word learning? Combining the principles of mutual exclusivity and shape bias, the present work takes a network analysis approach to understanding how feature distinctiveness predicts the order of early word learning. Distance networks were built from nouns with edge lengths computed using various distance measures. Feature distinctiveness was computed as a distance measure, showing how far an object in a network is from other objects based on shared and non-shared features. Feature distinctiveness predicted order of acquisition across all measures; words that were further away from other words in the network space were learned earlier. The best distance measures were based only on non-shared features (object dissimilarity) and did not include shared features (object similarity). This indicates that shared features may play less of a role in early word learning than non-shared features. In addition, the strongest effects were found for visual form and surface features. Cluster analysis further revealed that this effect is a localized effect in the object feature space, where objects’ distances from their cluster centroid were inversely correlated with their age of acquisition. Together, these results suggest a role for feature distinctiveness in early word learning.
Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||||||||
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Subjects: | B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology L Education > LB Theory and practice of education |
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Divisions: | Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Science > Psychology | ||||||||||
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Language acquisition, Children -- Language, Language arts (Early childhood), Early childhood education, Ability in children -- Testing | ||||||||||
Journal or Publication Title: | Cognitive Science | ||||||||||
Publisher: | Psychology Press | ||||||||||
ISSN: | 0364-0213 | ||||||||||
Official Date: | February 2017 | ||||||||||
Dates: |
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Volume: | 41 | ||||||||||
Number: | Supplement 1 | ||||||||||
Page Range: | pp. 120-140 | ||||||||||
DOI: | 10.1111/cogs.12350 | ||||||||||
Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||||||||
Publication Status: | Published | ||||||||||
Access rights to Published version: | Restricted or Subscription Access | ||||||||||
Date of first compliant deposit: | 30 March 2016 | ||||||||||
Date of first compliant Open Access: | 1 March 2017 |
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