Infants’ understanding of communicative interactions, Alia martin
1. Infants’ understanding of
communicative interactions
Talk at Kyoto Institute of Technology
July 11, 2015
Alia Martin
Harvard University
Lecturer, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand (2016)
40. Interim summary
• 12-month-olds recognize that speech
can transfer information about an
object, but coughing cannot
– even though infants themselves always
have information about the target
41. Interim summary
• 12-month-olds recognize that speech
can transfer information about an
object, but coughing cannot
– even though infants themselves always
have information about the target
• Communication, or mere presence of
speech?
48. • understand some common words used
in their environment (Bergelson & Swingley, 2012; Tincoff
& Jusczyk, 1999; 2012)
• no evidence for learning a word in a
single trial
6-month-olds…
49. 6-month-olds…
• understand some common words used
in their environment (Bergelson & Swingley, 2012; Tincoff
& Jusczyk, 1999; 2012)
• no evidence for learning a word in a
single trial
59. Discussion
• 6- and 12-month-old infants recognize
that the form of speech is
communicative
– transfers information from one person to
another
60. Discussion
• 6- and 12-month-old infants recognize
that the form of speech is
communicative
– transfers information from one person to
another
• May provide a mechanism for
language and knowledge acquisition