Learning in Complex Environments: The Effects of Background Speech on Early Word Learning

Overview

Journal Child Dev

Specialty Pediatrics

Date 2016 Jul 22

PMID 27441911

Citations 14

Authors

Brianna T M McMillan

Jenny R Saffran

Affiliations

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Abstract

Although most studies of language learning take place in quiet laboratory settings, everyday language learning occurs under noisy conditions. The current research investigated the effects of background speech on word learning. Both younger (22- to 24-month-olds; n = 40) and older (28- to 30-month-olds; n = 40) toddlers successfully learned novel label-object pairings when target speech was 10 dB louder than background speech but not when the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was 5 dB. Toddlers (28- to 30-month-olds; n = 26) successfully learned novel words with a 5-dB SNR when they initially heard the labels embedded in fluent speech without background noise, before they were mapped to objects. The results point to both challenges and protective factors that may impact language learning in complex auditory environments.

Citing Articles

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Children build their vocabularies in noisy environments: The necessity of a cross-disciplinary approach to understand word learning.

Gordon K, Grieco-Calub T Wiley Interdiscip Rev Cogn Sci. 2023; 15(2):e1671.

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The influence of auditory selective attention on linguistic outcomes in deaf and hard of hearing children with cochlear implants.

Nicastri M, Giallini I, Inguscio B, Turchetta R, Guerzoni L, Cuda D Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2022; 280(1):115-124.

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