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Research output: Contribution in Book/Report/Proceedings - With ISBN/ISSN › Conference contribution/Paper › peer-review
Research output: Contribution in Book/Report/Proceedings - With ISBN/ISSN › Conference contribution/Paper › peer-review
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TY - GEN
T1 - Extraneous visual noise facilitates word learning
AU - Twomey, Katherine Elizabeth
AU - Ma, Lizhi
AU - Westermann, Gert
PY - 2017/7/20
Y1 - 2017/7/20
N2 - Variability is important to learning; however, whether it supports or hinders language acquisition is unclear. 3D object studies suggest that children learn words better when target objects vary, however storybook studies indicate that contextual variability impairs learning. We tested a dynamic systems account in which background variability should boost learning by speeding the emergence of new behaviors. Two groups of two-year-old children saw arrays of one novel andtwo known objects on a screen, and heard a novel or known label. Stimuli were identical across conditions, with the exception that in the constant condition objects appeared on a white background, and in the variable condition backgrounds were colored. Only children in the variable condition showed evidence of word learning, suggesting that extraneous variability supports learning by decontextualizing representations, and indicating that adding low-level entropyto the developmental system can trigger a change in behavior
AB - Variability is important to learning; however, whether it supports or hinders language acquisition is unclear. 3D object studies suggest that children learn words better when target objects vary, however storybook studies indicate that contextual variability impairs learning. We tested a dynamic systems account in which background variability should boost learning by speeding the emergence of new behaviors. Two groups of two-year-old children saw arrays of one novel andtwo known objects on a screen, and heard a novel or known label. Stimuli were identical across conditions, with the exception that in the constant condition objects appeared on a white background, and in the variable condition backgrounds were colored. Only children in the variable condition showed evidence of word learning, suggesting that extraneous variability supports learning by decontextualizing representations, and indicating that adding low-level entropyto the developmental system can trigger a change in behavior
KW - word learning
KW - language acquisition
KW - variability
KW - memory decontextualisation
KW - dynamic systems
M3 - Conference contribution/Paper
SP - 3404
EP - 3409
BT - Proceedings of the 39th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society
A2 - Gunzelmann, Glenn
A2 - Howes, Andrew
A2 - Tenbrink, Thora
A2 - Davelaar, Eddy
PB - Cognitive Science Society
CY - Austin, TX
ER -