Associative Word Learning in Infancy: A Meta-Analysis of the Switch Task

Autor/inn/en	Tsui, Angeline Sin Mei; Byers-Heinlein, Krista; Fennell, Christopher T.
Titel	Associative Word Learning in Infancy: A Meta-Analysis of the Switch Task
Quelle	In: Developmental Psychology, 55 (2019) 5, S.934-950 (17 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0012-1649
DOI	10.1037/dev0000699
Schlagwörter	Associative Learning; Vocabulary Development; Language Acquisition; Infants; Bilingualism; Task Analysis; Word Recognition; Auditory Perception; Speech; Effect Size + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Wortschatzarbeit; Sprachaneignung; Spracherwerb; Infant; Toddler; Toddlers; Kleinkind; Bilingualismus; Aufgabenanalyse; Worterkennung; Auditive Wahrnehmung; Akustische Wahrnehmung; Akustik; Speaking; Sprechen
Abstract	Associative word learning, the ability to pair a concept to a word, is an essential mechanism for early language development. One common method by which researchers measure this ability is the Switch task (Werker, Cohen, Lloyd, Casasola, & Stager, 1998), wherein infants are habituated to 2 word-object pairings and then tested on their ability to notice a switch in those pairings. In this comprehensive meta-analysis, we summarized 141 Switch task studies involving 2,723 infants of 12 to 20 months to estimate an average effect size for the task (random-effect model) and to explore how key experimental factors affect infants' performance (fixed-effect model). The average effect size was low to moderate in size, Cohen's d = 0.32. The use of language-typical and dissimilar-sounding words as well as the presence of additional facilitative cues aided performance, particularly for younger infants. Infants learning 2 languages at home outperformed those learning 1, indicating a bilingual advantage in learning word-object associations. Together, these findings support the Processing Rich Information from Multidimensional Interactive Representations (PRIMIR) theoretical framework of infant speech perception and word learning (e.g., Werker & Curtin, 2005), but invite further theoretical work to account for the observed bilingual advantage. Lastly, some of our analyses raised the possibility of questionable research practices in this literature. Therefore, we conclude with suggestions (e.g., preregistration, transparent data peeking, and alternate statistical approaches) for how to address this important issue. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01