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Detailed Behavioral Analysis as a Window Into Cross‐Situational Word Learning
Author(s) -
Suanda Sumarga H.,
Namy Laura L.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
cognitive science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.498
H-Index - 114
eISSN - 1551-6709
pISSN - 0364-0213
DOI - 10.1111/j.1551-6709.2011.01218.x
Subject(s) - word (group theory) , referent , situational ethics , computer science , context (archaeology) , replication (statistics) , extension (predicate logic) , psychology , cognitive psychology , tracking (education) , natural language processing , artificial intelligence , linguistics , social psychology , statistics , mathematics , paleontology , philosophy , pedagogy , biology , programming language
Recent research has demonstrated that word learners can determine word‐referent mappings by tracking co‐occurrences across multiple ambiguous naming events. The current study addresses the mechanisms underlying this capacity to learn words cross‐situationally. This replication and extension of Yu and Smith (2007) investigates the factors influencing both successful cross‐situational word learning and mis‐mappings. Item analysis and error patterns revealed that the co‐occurrence structure of the learning environment as well as the context of the testing environment jointly affected learning across observations. Learners also adopted an exclusion strategy, which contributed conjointly with statistical tracking to performance. Implications for our understanding of the processes underlying cross‐situational word learning are discussed.