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Yıldız E, Uzundağ BA. Mothers’ descriptions of referents are related to children's communicative competence. COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2022.101258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Zhou J, Mai Z, Cai Q, Liang Y, Yip V. Reference production in Mandarin–English bilingual preschoolers: Linguistic, input, and cognitive factors. Front Psychol 2022; 13:897031. [PMID: 36248544 PMCID: PMC9559801 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.897031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Reference in extended discourse is vulnerable to delayed acquisition in early childhood. Although recent research has increasingly focused on effects of linguistic, input, and cognitive factors on reference production, these studies are limited in number and the results are mixed. The present study provides insight into bilingual reference production by investigating how production of referring expressions in the two languages of preschool bilingual children may be influenced by structural similarities and differences between the languages, frequency of referring expressions in maternal input, amount of exposure to each of the languages, and working memory capacity. Using two stories in the Multilingual Assessment Instrument for Narratives (MAIN), we examined character introduction and re-introduction in oral narratives of 4–6-year-old Singaporean bilingual children acquiring Mandarin Chinese and English (n = 21), and in child-directed speech of the mothers (n = 17). The children’s language exposure, executive function, and general bilingual proficiency were also recorded or directly tested through structured interviews with the parents or standardized assessments with the children. Data collection was conducted remotely in real time over a video-conferencing platform, supplemented by on-site audio recording to ensure sound quality. Results showed prolonged development in the production of felicitous REs for first mentions and over-reliance on overt marking of definiteness in our bilingual children. Mixed modeling revealed that frequency of felicitous REs in the input predicted children’s production of felicitous REs across languages and discourse functions, with a modulating effect of working memory. Overall, our findings are consistent with previous ones in that reference production is vulnerable in early Mandarin-English bilinguals in a multilingual society. This study also presents novel evidence that structural frequency in the input interacts with working memory in shaping patterns of reference production in bilingual children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiangling Zhou
- Childhood Bilingualism Research Centre, Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- *Correspondence: Jiangling Zhou,
| | - Ziyin Mai
- Department of Linguistics and Translation, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Qiuyun Cai
- Department of Linguistics and Translation, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Yuqing Liang
- Department of Linguistics and Translation, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Virginia Yip
- Childhood Bilingualism Research Centre, Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
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Vasil J. A New Look at Young Children's Referential Informativeness. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2022; 18:624-648. [PMID: 36170548 DOI: 10.1177/17456916221112072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
In this article, I review experimental evidence for the dependence of 2- to 5-year-olds' linguistic referential informativeness on cues to common ground (CG) and propose a process model. Cues to CG provide evidence for CG, that is, for the shared knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes of interlocutors. The presence of cues to CG (e.g., unimpeded listener line of regard or prior mention) is shown to be associated with less informative reference (e.g., pronouns). In contrast, the absence of cues to CG (e.g., impeded listener line of regard or new mention) is shown to be associated with more informative reference (e.g., nouns). Informativeness is sensitive to linguistic before nonlinguistic cues to CG (i.e., 2.0 vs. 2.5 years old, respectively). Reference is cast as a process of active inference, a formulation of Bayesian belief-guided control in biological systems. Child speakers are hierarchical generative models that, characteristically, expect sensory evidence for the evolved, prior Bayesian belief that interlocutor mental states are aligned (i.e., that CG exists). Referential control emerges as an embodied tool to gather evidence for this prior belief. Bottom-up cues to CG elicited by action drive updates to beliefs about CG. In turn, beliefs about CG guide efficient referential control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jared Vasil
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University
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Fyfe ER, Borriello G, Merrick M. A developmental perspective on feedback: How corrective feedback influences children's literacy, mathematics, and problem solving. EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGIST 2022; 58:130-145. [PMID: 37520029 PMCID: PMC10373990 DOI: 10.1080/00461520.2022.2108426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
Research in psychology and education indicates that corrective feedback can be a powerful learning tool. We provide a developmental perspective to focus specifically on how corrective feedback influences learning in childhood (~ages 3-11). Based on a systematic search, we review 44 empirical papers published between 1990 and 2022 examining the effects of corrective feedback on children's performance in the domains of literacy (n=18), mathematics (n=14), and problem solving (n=12). Across these domains, we synthesize research on how children respond to lessons and practice with, versus without, corrective feedback to provide theoretical and practical insights into (1) the effectiveness of corrective feedback in early childhood, (2) the features of effective feedback messages at different ages, and (3) the role of individual learner differences. We make several novel recommendations with some focused on future research questions and others focused on ways teachers can provide effective feedback to children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily R Fyfe
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University
| | - Giulia Borriello
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University
| | - Megan Merrick
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University
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Bacso SA, Nilsen ES. Children’s use of verbal and nonverbal feedback during communicative repair: Associations with executive functioning and emotion knowledge. COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2022.101199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Bacso SA, Nilsen ES, Silva J. How to turn that frown upside down: Children make use of a listener's facial cues to detect and (attempt to) repair miscommunication. J Exp Child Psychol 2021; 207:105097. [PMID: 33756278 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2021.105097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2020] [Revised: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 01/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Communication involves the integration of verbal and nonverbal cues. This study assessed preschool-age children's ability to use their conversational partner's facial expression to determine whether the partner required additional information or not. Children (aged 4;0-5;11 [years;months]; N = 101) played a game with a virtual child partner where they attempted to tell the virtual child in which box a prize was hidden. Children needed to provide several features of pictures on each box to uniquely identify the correct box. After providing their instructions, children viewed a video of the virtual child's emotional reaction (prize found = happy, not found = sad). We assessed children's recognition that miscommunication had occurred, their decision of whether or not to repair their message, and the content of their repairs. We found that children were able to determine whether or not the listener found the prize, and gauge their own skill at providing instructions, based on the listener's facial expression. Furthermore, children were more likely to attempt to repair messages when the listener appeared to be sad, although their actual success in repairing the message was minimal. With respect to individual differences, children with higher executive functioning and higher emotion knowledge skills were more accurate in their perceptions of communicative success. Children with higher emotion knowledge skills were more likely to attempt to repair their messages when the listener appeared to be sad. Overall, this study demonstrates that children are able to make inferences about communication using a listener's facial expression and that emotion recognition and executive functioning support this ability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah A Bacso
- Centre for Mental Health Research and Treatment, Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada.
| | - Elizabeth S Nilsen
- Centre for Mental Health Research and Treatment, Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada.
| | - Janel Silva
- Centre for Mental Health Research and Treatment, Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada
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Damen D, van Amelsvoort M, van der Wijst P, Pollmann M, Krahmer E. Lifting the curse of knowing: How feedback improves perspective-taking. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2021; 74:1054-1069. [PMID: 33427086 PMCID: PMC8107504 DOI: 10.1177/1747021820987080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
People are likely to use their own knowledge as a frame of reference when they try to assess another person’s perspective. Due to this egocentric anchoring, people often overestimate the extent to which others share their point of view. This study investigated which type of feedback (if any) stimulates perceivers to make estimations of another person’s perspective that are less biased by egocentric knowledge. We allocated participants to one of the three feedback conditions (no feedback, accuracy feedback, narrative feedback). Findings showed that participants who were given feedback adjusted their perspective-judgement more than those who did not receive feedback. They also showed less egocentric projection on future assessments. Participants adjusted their perspective within the same trial to the same degree for both feedback types. However, participants’ egocentric bias was only reduced when they received narrative feedback and not when they received accuracy feedback about their performance. Implications of these findings for theories of perspective-taking are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debby Damen
- Department of Communication and Cognition, Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands
| | - Marije van Amelsvoort
- Department of Communication and Cognition, Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands
| | - Per van der Wijst
- Department of Communication and Cognition, Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands
| | - Monique Pollmann
- Department of Communication and Cognition, Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands
| | - Emiel Krahmer
- Department of Communication and Cognition, Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands
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Nilsen ES, Silva J, McAuley T, Floto S. Executive functioning moderates associations between shyness and pragmatic abilities. SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/sode.12485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Janel Silva
- Psychology Department University of Waterloo Waterloo ON Canada
| | - Tara McAuley
- Psychology Department University of Waterloo Waterloo ON Canada
| | - Shanan Floto
- Psychology Department University of Waterloo Waterloo ON Canada
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Grigoroglou M, Papafragou A. Children's (and Adults') Production Adjustments to Generic and Particular Listener Needs. Cogn Sci 2019; 43:e12790. [DOI: 10.1111/cogs.12790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2018] [Revised: 08/21/2019] [Accepted: 08/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Myrto Grigoroglou
- Department of Linguistics and Cognitive Science University of Delaware
| | - Anna Papafragou
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences University of Delaware
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Khu M, Chambers CG, Graham SA. Preschoolers Flexibly Shift Between Speakers' Perspectives During Real-Time Language Comprehension. Child Dev 2019; 91:e619-e634. [PMID: 31222715 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2017] [Revised: 04/01/2019] [Accepted: 04/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
In communicative situations, preschoolers use shared knowledge, or "common ground," to guide their interpretation of a speaker's referential intent. Using eye-tracking measures, this study investigated the time course of 4-year-olds' (n = 95) use of two different speakers' perspectives and assessed how individual differences in this ability related to individual differences in executive function and representational skills. Gaze measures indicated partner-specific common ground guided children's interpretation from the earliest moments of language processing. Nonegocentric online processing was positively correlated with performance on a Level 2 visual perspective-taking task. These results demonstrate that preschoolers readily use the perspectives of multiple partners to guide language comprehension and that more advanced representational skills are associated with the rapid integration of common ground information.
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Davies C, Kreysa H. Look before you speak: children's integration of visual information into informative referring expressions. JOURNAL OF CHILD LANGUAGE 2018; 45:1116-1143. [PMID: 29739488 DOI: 10.1017/s0305000918000120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Children's ability to refer is underpinned by their developing cognitive skills. Using a production task (n = 57), we examined pre-articulatory visual fixations to contrast objects (e.g., to a large apple when the target was a small one) to investigate how visual scanning drives informativeness across development. Eye-movements reveal that although four-year-olds fixate contrast objects to a similar extent as seven-year-olds and adults, this does not result in explicit referential informativeness. Instead, four-year-olds frequently omit distinguishing information from their referring expressions regardless of the comprehensiveness of their visual scan. In contrast, older children make greater use of information gleaned from their visual inspections, like adults. Thus, we find a barrier not to the incidence of contrast fixations by younger children, but to their use of them in referential informativeness. We recommend that follow-up work investigates whether younger children's immature executive skills prevent them from describing referents in relation to contrast objects.
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Uzundag BA, Küntay AC. Children’s referential communication skills: The role of cognitive abilities and adult models of speech. J Exp Child Psychol 2018; 172:73-95. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2018.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2017] [Revised: 02/20/2018] [Accepted: 02/21/2018] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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Stevenson CE. Role of Working Memory and Strategy-Use in Feedback Effects on children’s Progression in Analogy Solving:an Explanatory Item Response Theory Account. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN EDUCATION 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s40593-016-0129-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Bacso SA, Nilsen ES. What’s That You’re Saying? Children With Better Executive Functioning Produce and Repair Communication More Effectively. JOURNAL OF COGNITION AND DEVELOPMENT 2017. [DOI: 10.1080/15248372.2017.1336438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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