| Popis: |
Numerous studies have demonstrated that young children can learn new words without direct teaching (Rice, 1990; Hollich, Hirsh-Pasek, Golinkoff, Brand, Brown, Chung, Hennon, Rocroi, & Bloom, 2000; Halberda, 2003; Brackenbury & Pye, 2005; Brackenbury, Ryan, & Messenheimer, 2006; Carey, 2010). However, very few have examined the integration of novel words into children’s lexicons (e.g., Markman & Hutchinson, 1994). The present study assessed how and when preschool-aged children acquire novel words from stories, and connect them to familiar words that are related taxonomically and thematically. Testing was conducted immediately after hearing the stories and one week later with no further exposure. The children correctly identified all three types of lexical connections (i.e., phonological form, taxonomic associates, and thematic associates) at greater than chance levels, demonstrating that each type of lexical connection was accessed during novel word learning. Performances related to the time of testing and the interaction between time and connection type were not significantly different. These results suggest that children are accessing their current lexical knowledge when acquiring novel words and that the integration of newly learned words continues after the exposing event. |
