Can Television Help Toddlers Acquire New Words?

Abstract

This study used a fast mapping paradigm to examine a group of toddlers (15-24 months) and their ability to learn novel words. In particular, we were interested in comparing the children when novel words were presented via maximal (joint reference) and minimal learning conditions (discrepant label, adult on television, or segments from the Teletubbies). Overall, toddlers were most successful learning novel words in the maximal learning condition. Fewer children learned novel words in the minimal learning conditions. When minimal learning conditions were compared, more children learned from the adult on television, followed by discrepant labeling and the Teletubbies. A comparison by age and vocabulary level showed more older toddlers (22-24 months) learned words than younger toddlers (15-21 months) and more children with larger vocabularies learned words better than children with smaller vocabularies. This study showed; toddlers do learn the meaning of new words best when taught by an adult caregiver, and, they are least likely to learn new words presented via television programs with animated characters.

Introduction

Investigations of normal language development have found large variation in vocabulary acquisition rates in young children (e.g., Bloom, 1973; Nelson, 1973). Not only is variation seen between children, but also within children. Vocabulary acquisition does not occur in a linear fashion. For example, during the early stages of development, the rate of word learning is rather slow (1-2 words per month). Following these early stages there is a gradual increase in the rate of learning until most children achieve a vocabulary spurt where they learn at least ten words within a two-week period (e.g., Goldfield & Reznick, 1990; Mervis & Bertrand, 1995).

The purpose of the present study was to investigate factors that may influence vocabulary acquisition in a group of young children ranging in age from 15 to 24 months.

A phenomenon known as "fast mapping" has been used to describe children's rapid acquisition of words. Fast mapping means that after limited exposure to a novel word, children hypothesize its meaning from the context within which it was heard (e.g., Carey, 1978; Carey & Bartlett, 1978; Heibeck & Markman, 1987; Wilkinson, Dube, & McIlvane, 1996). This process is believed to occur because children utilize linguistic and nonlinguistic information present when new words are uttered. It has been found that children as young as thirteen months are able to fast map (e.g., Kay Raining Bird & Chapman, 1998; Woodward, Markman & Fitzsimmons, 1994). In their study, Kay Raining Bird and Chapman reported toddlers between the age of thirteen and sixteen months were able to learn the name of novel objects following only four repetitions of that word. They concluded relatively few word repetitions were necessary for young children to develop an initial representation of a word's meaning.

One of the premises behind fast mapping is children utilize their knowledge of language to hypothesize the meaning of a word. They use the morphosyntax of the sentence, position of a word in a sentence, and understanding of lexical class to confirm or eliminate possible hypotheses about a particular word's meaning (e.g., Gleitman, 1993; Naigles, Fowler, & Helm, 1993; Naigles & Hoff Ginsberg, 1998).