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Cited by 1,783Language Development and DisordersChild and Animal Learning DevelopmentReading and Literacy Development

Early vocabulary growth: relation to language input and gender

Huttenlocher, Janellen, Haight, Wendy, Bryk, Anthony, Seltzer, Michael, Lyons, Thomas·1991·Developmental Psychology
DOI 10.1037/0012-1649.27.2.236
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Abstract

This study examines the role of exposure to speech in children's early vocabulary growth. It is generally assumed that individual differences in vocabulary depend, in large part, on variations in learning capacity. However, variations in exposure have not been systematically explored. In this study we characterize vocabulary growth rates for each of 22 children by using data obtained at several time points from 14 to 26 months. We find a substantial relation between individual differences in vocabulary acquisition and variations in the amount that particular mothers speak to their children. The relation between amount of parent speech and vocabulary growth, we argue, reflects parent effects on the child, rather than child-ability effects on the parent or hereditary factors. We also find that gender is an important factor in rate of vocabulary growth. Early childhood is a period of rapid linguistic development. By 2 years, the average child acquires 900 root words (cf. Carey, 1978) and at least a rudimentary syntax (cf. Brown, 1973). Although there has been considerable recent interest in syntactic development, much less attention has been devoted to lexical development. Yet in tracing the development of language from its inception, lexical development must necessarily be a focus of study because the acquisition of words constitutes the child's initial achievement as a language user. A certain amount of vocabulary must be acquired before words can be combined into sentences, a…

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Crossref · 10.1037/0012-1649.27.2.236

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  • The difference in vocabulary size appears as early as 16 months and exists even after controlling for mother-child interactions, suggesting a biological component in girls' advantage in reading and writing.

    “This difference appears as early as 16 months and exists even after controlling for mother -child interactions, suggesting a biological component in girls ' advantage in the areas of reading and writing (Huttenlocher et al., 1991).”

    From Gender and Education (2015) · cites this paper as Huttenlocher et al., 1991

  • Vocabulary size is typically larger among females than males.

    “For example, vocabulary size, which has a strong memory component, is typically larger among females than males.”

    From Gender and Education (2015) · cites this paper as Huttenlocher et al., 1991

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Authors
Huttenlocher, J., Haight, W., Bryk, A., Seltzer, M., & Lyons, T.
Affiliations
University of Chicago (US)
ORCID
Venue
Developmental Psychology
Publisher
American Psychological Association (APA)
Published
1991-03
Volume
27
Issue
2
Pages
236-248
ISSN
  • 0012-1649 (ISSN-L)
  • 1939-0599
DOI
10.1037/0012-1649.27.2.236
OpenAlex
W2108449190
Cited by
1,783
References
1
Citations by year
2026: 19 · 2025: 45 · 2024: 56 · 2023: 54 · 2022: 119 · 2021: 86 · 2020: 87 · 2019: 138 · 2018: 90 · 2017: 79 · 2016: 101 · 2015: 76 · 2014: 86 · 2013: 84 · 2012: 71
FWCI
12.07
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
Developmental Psychology (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Language Development and Disorders
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Child and Animal Learning Development
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Reading and Literacy Development
Keywords
vocabulary development, language input, mother-child speech, individual differences, gender differences, early childhood language learning, word learning

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