Context Effects on Word Learning and Generalization

University Of Iowa, Iowa City IA

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Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The long-term goal of this research program is to provide speech-language pathologists with information about how to best use physical context (e.g., the room or setting) to improve word-learning and generalization in children with primary language impairment (LI). The project will focus on how variations of training contexts affect two important components of word learning: learning the word-object link (i.e., being able to identify the correct object when its label is heard), and learning the word-form (i.e., being able to identiy the correct label when shown the target object). The specific aims of the proposed research are to determine: 1-The extent to which variability of training contexts affects children's memory for newly learned word-object links and their generalization of those links to untrained exemplars and contexts; 2- The extent to which variability of training contexts affects children's memory for newly learned word-forms and their generalization of those word-forms to untrained exemplars and contexts; 3-The extent to which variability of training contexts during ecologically-valid interventions supports word learning and generalization among children with LI. Based on findings from past literature, the central hypothesis is that training in variable contexts will promote the most learning advantages as it will enable superior generalization to untrained exemplars and untrained contexts. The research strategy involves 3 experiments in which children with and without LI will be taught new words for unfamiliar objects and then asked to remember the word-object links and word forms in trained and untrained contexts after a delay of several days. This study will provide valuable information about the role of context in children's retention of new word-referent mappings.