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Evidence against a dedicated system for word learning in children

Author

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  • Lori Markson

    (University of Arizona)

  • Paul Bloom

    (University of Arizona)

Abstract

Children can learn aspects of the meaning of a new word on the basis of only a few incidental exposures and can retain this knowledge for a long period—a process dubbed 'fast mapping'1–8. It is often maintained that fast mapping is the result of a dedicated language mechanism, but it is possible that this same capacity might apply in domains other than language learning. Here we present two experiments in which three- and four-year-old children and adults were taught a novel name and a novel fact about an object, and were tested on their retention immediately, after a 1-week delay or after a 1-month delay. Our findings show that fast mapping is not limited to word learning, suggesting that the capacity to learn and retain new words is the result of learning and memory abilities that are not specific to language.

Suggested Citation

  • Lori Markson & Paul Bloom, 1997. "Evidence against a dedicated system for word learning in children," Nature, Nature, vol. 385(6619), pages 813-815, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:385:y:1997:i:6619:d:10.1038_385813a0
    DOI: 10.1038/385813a0
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    Cited by:

    1. Sun-Joo Cho & Amanda P. Goodwin, 2017. "Modeling Learning in Doubly Multilevel Binary Longitudinal Data Using Generalized Linear Mixed Models: An Application to Measuring and Explaining Word Learning," Psychometrika, Springer;The Psychometric Society, vol. 82(3), pages 846-870, September.
    2. Sebastian Tempelmann & Juliane Kaminski & Michael Tomasello, 2014. "Do Domestic Dogs Learn Words Based on Humans’ Referential Behaviour?," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(3), pages 1-8, March.

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