Grounding Word Learning in Multimodal Sensorimotor Interaction

Indiana University, Bloomington IN

Investigators

Abstract

Words are building blocks for language and conceptual development. Words provide labels for the objects and events that fill the world of the language learner, and their importance in development is underscored by the fact that, as early as two years of age, children acquire the vocabulary of their native language quickly and with no apparent effort. If one considers only the child's linguistic enviroment (i.e., the utterances that are heard), then word learning appears to be a very difficult task because there is so little information to discern the sounds and meanings that are associated with each word. But the linguistic environment is embedded in the larger context of the child's physical and social interactions with the world, and this larger context provides crucial information for the process of word learning. With support from the National Science Foundation, Dr. Yu and Dr. Smith will investigate the mechanisms by which word learning is grounded in sensorimotor experiences, and in real-time, multimodal interactions between children and their caregivers. Using both empirical and computational methods, the investigators will identify the physical and social cues that are available to language learners, and they will examine how those cues serve to guide the attention of the langauge learner towards aspects of the environment that are relevant to word learning. The results of this project will provide a basis for understanding how atypical physical and social interactions can contribute to atypical language development, as in autism and Asperger's syndrome. The results may also prove useful in building machines that acquire language automatically and rapidly, and use language in human-like ways.