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Preschoolers' Preference for Syntactic Complexity Varies by Socioeconomic Status
Author(s) -
Corriveau Kathleen H.,
Kurkul Katelyn,
Arunachalam Sudha
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
child development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1467-8624
pISSN - 0009-3920
DOI - 10.1111/cdev.12553
Subject(s) - socioeconomic status , psychology , syntax , preference , developmental psychology , passive voice , linguistics , demography , population , statistics , mathematics , sociology , philosophy
Two experiments investigated whether 4‐ and 5‐year‐old children choose to learn from informants who use more complex syntax (passive voice) over informants using more simple syntax (active voice). In Experiment 1 ( N = 30), children viewed one informant who consistently used the passive voice and another who used active voice. When learning novel words from the two informants, children were more likely to endorse information from the passive informant. Experiment 2 ( N = 32) explored whether preference for the passive informant varied by socioeconomic status (SES; eligibility for free/reduced lunch). Although higher SES children selectively preferred the passive informant, lower SES children preferred the active informant. Explanations are discussed for why SES might moderate children's sensitivity to syntactic complexity when choosing from whom to learn.