Can Infants Map Meaning to Newly Segmented Words?: Statistical Segmentation and Word Learning
Open accessAbstract
The present experiments investigated how the process of statistically segmenting words from fluent speech is linked to the process of mapping meanings to words. Seventeen-month-old infants first participated in a statistical word segmentation task, which was immediately followed by an object-label-learning task. Infants presented with labels that were words in the fluent speech used in the segmentation task were able to learn the object labels. However, infants presented with labels consisting of novel syllable sequences (nonwords; Experiment 1) or familiar sequences with low internal probabilities (part-words; Experiment 2) did not learn the labels. Thus, prior segmentation opportunities, but not mere frequency of exposure, facilitated infants' learning of object labels. This work provides the first demonstration that exposure to word forms in a statistical word segmentation task facilitates subsequent word learning.
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Graf Estes et al. (2007) found that 17-month-old infants were able to map labels to objects when those labels comprised syllable sequences with high internal probabilities based on prior statistical segmentation experience, but did not learn the mapping when labels comprised familiar sequences with low internal probabilities.
“The authors found that 17month-old infants were able to map labels to objects when those labels comprised syllable sequences with high internal probabilities, based on prior statistical segmentation experience. In contrast, infants did not learn the mapping when the labels comprised familiar sequences with low internal probabilities.”
From Statistically coherent labels facilitate categorization in 8-month-olds (2014) · cites this paper as Graf Estes et al. (2007)
Taken together, Saffran (2001) and Graf Estes et al.'s (2007) studies suggest that infants treat high probability items, and thus the output of statistical learning, as possible native language words rather than merely sound sequences with high internal probabilities but no linguistic relevance.
“Taken together, Saffran (2001) and Graf Estes et al.'s (2007) studies suggest that infants treat high probability items, and thus the output of statistical learning, as possible native language words rather than merely sound sequences with high internal probabilities but no linguistic relevance.”
From Statistically coherent labels facilitate categorization in 8-month-olds (2014) · cites this paper as Graf Estes et al. (2007)
These word forms can be mapped to referents, or used to support object categorization as in the present research.
“For example, these word forms can be mapped to referents (e.g., Graf Estes et al., 2007), or used to support object categorization as in the present research.”
From Statistically coherent labels facilitate categorization in 8-month-olds (2014) · cites this paper as Graf Estes et al., 2007
These results dovetail with several studies that indicate that statistical learning produces word-like representations that can be used to support real linguistic tasks, such as label learning, in older infants and adults.
“These results dovetail with several studies that indicate that statistical learning produces word-like representations that can be used to support real linguistic tasks, such as label learning, in older infants and adults (Graf Estes et al., 2007; Mirman et al., 2008).”
From Statistically coherent labels facilitate categorization in 8-month-olds (2014) · cites this paper as Graf Estes et al., 2007
Cites
Words in a sea of sounds: The output of infant statistical learning
Saffran, J. R. (2001) · Cognition · doi:10.1016/s0010-0277(01)00132-9 · Cited by 352 · see citing works
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Dehaene, S., Meyniel, F., Wacongne, C., Wang, L., & Pallier, C. (2015) · Neuron · doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2015.09.019 · Cited by 478 · see citing works
Attention Is Spontaneously Biased Toward Regularities
Zhao, J., Al-Aidroos, N., & Turk-Browne, N. B. (2013) · Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/0956797612460407 · Cited by 266 · see citing works
Statistically coherent labels facilitate categorization in 8-month-olds
Erickson, L. C., Thiessen, E. D., & Graf Estes, K. (2014) · Journal of Memory and Language · doi:10.1016/j.jml.2014.01.002 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
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- Authors
- Estes, K. G., Evans, J. L., Alibali, M. W., & Saffran, J. R.
- Affiliations
- University of Wisconsin–Madison (US)
- San Diego State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Estes, Katharine Graf
- Venue
- Psychological Science
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2007-03
- Volume
- 18
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 254-260
- ISSN
- 0956-7976 (ISSN-L)
- 1467-9280
- PMC
- PMC3864753
- OpenAlex
- W2045213847
- Cited by
- 456
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 21 · 2022: 18 · 2021: 24 · 2020: 55 · 2019: 23 · 2018: 23 · 2017: 29 · 2016: 22 · 2015: 25 · 2014: 26 · 2013: 37 · 2012: 26
- FWCI
- 35.33
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Psychological Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (F31DC007277, R01DC005650)
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01HD037466, P30HD003352)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Language Development and Disorders
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Reading and Literacy Development
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Child and Animal Learning Development
- Keywords
- word learning, statistical word segmentation, infant language acquisition, pseudowords, exposure frequency, fluent speech
- MeSH terms
- Analysis of Variance, Auditory Perception, Child Language, Discrimination Learning, Humans, Infant, Language, Language Development, Learning, Speech, Speech Discrimination Tests, Speech Perception, Time Factors, Verbal Learning, Vocabulary, Recognition, Psychology, Comprehension
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