INAPPROPRIATE WORD USAGE IN YOUNG CHILDREN: A LONGITUDINAL INVESTIGATION
Abstract
The present investigation addressed two experimental questions. The first of these concerned the process of category evolution. Are there different types of inappropriate word extensions from the outset, with their own distinct paths of development? Or can inappropriate word extensions generally be described as a single phenomenon with each of the sequential categories representing different points on a developmental continuum, such that one category is eventually replaced by the next. The second experimental question concerned the effects of feedback (acceptance, correction with joint labeling, and correction plus expanation) on children's inappropriate word usage over time. Four normally developing children were studied for ten months, beginning when the children were between 9 and 10 months of age. The children were visited by the experimenter in their homes, first at monthly intervals and then two times per week, over the experimental period. During these visits, comprehension and production probes were administered to study the children's acquisition and development of the five category terms ball, car, dog, hat, and kitty. Further, differential feedback (including either acceptance, correction with joint labeling, or correction plus explanation) was provided by the experimenter when the children extended any of the five target category terms to similar, but inappropriate referents. The results of the study suggested that children's word meanings may follow a variety paths of development before eventually approximating that of an adult. However, only a few of these paths predominate. Further, overlap was observed among many of the sequences, suggesting that each dominant sequence of development may contain one or more optional, transitional stages that may be seen for certain words in certain children. Finally, the results of the study indicated that feedback influenced changes in children's word meanings over time. The three feedback types differed from each other in bringing about positive changes in word meaing, however. In general, correction plus explanation appeared more effective than correction with joint labeling, which in turn seemed more effective than acceptance in facilitating the children's acquisition of the appropriate name for an object.
Degree
Ph.D.
Subject Area
Developmental psychology
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