The role of interactivity in early language learning
Babies learn better from a real person than from a video recording of that person, but why is this the case?
One important difference between videos and live interaction is the absence or presence of interactivity.
To test this hypothesis, a virtual agent that is or is not interactive teaches 12-month-old babies the name of a new object.
One important difference between videos and live interaction is the absence or presence of interactivity.
To test this hypothesis, a virtual agent that is or is not interactive teaches 12-month-old babies the name of a new object.
We show that interactivity, even in the absence of a human teacher, enhances learning of new words.
Interactivity might be an important mechanism through which infants identify a relevant social agent, which might ultimately help them learn language.
Interactivity might be an important mechanism through which infants identify a relevant social agent, which might ultimately help them learn language.
References
・Tsuji, S.,Jincho, N., Mazuka, R., & Cristia, A. (2020). Communicative cues in the absence of a human interaction partner enhance 12-month-old infants’ word learning. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 191, 104740.Preprint OSF page
・Tsuji, S., Mazuka, R., & Swingley, D. (2019). Temporal contingency augments attention to a referent in a word learning task. Proceedings of the 43th Boston University Conference on Language Development, pp. 693-704. Boston, MA, USA. Access here
・Tsuji, S.,Jincho, N., Mazuka, R., & Cristia, A. (2020). Communicative cues in the absence of a human interaction partner enhance 12-month-old infants’ word learning. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 191, 104740.Preprint OSF page
・Tsuji, S., Mazuka, R., & Swingley, D. (2019). Temporal contingency augments attention to a referent in a word learning task. Proceedings of the 43th Boston University Conference on Language Development, pp. 693-704. Boston, MA, USA. Access here