title: Parallels Between Action-Object Mapping and Word-Object Mapping in Young Children.
abstract: Across a series of four experiments with 3- to 4-year-olds we demonstrate how cognitive mechanisms supporting noun learning extend to the mapping of actions to objects. In Experiment 1 (n = 61) the demonstration of a novel action led children to select a novel, rather than a familiar object. In Experiment 2 (n = 78) children exhibited long-term retention of novel action-object mappings and extended these actions to other category members. In Experiment 3 (n = 60) we showed that children formed an accurate sensorimotor record of the novel action. In Experiment 4 (n = 54) we demonstrate limits on the types of actions mapped to novel objects. Overall these data suggest that certain aspects of noun mapping share common processing with action mapping and support a domain-general account of word learning.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Hull.
authors.forename: Kevin J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Riggs
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Hull.
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mather
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Essex.
authors.forename: Grace
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hyde
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Essex.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Simpson
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D007804:Language Development; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D014825:Vocabulary
keywords: Actions; Fast mapping; Language; Word learning