CHILDREN'S INTERPRETATION OF OBJECT TERMS EMBEDDED IN LINGUISTIC CONTEXTS.
Item
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Title
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CHILDREN'S INTERPRETATION OF OBJECT TERMS EMBEDDED IN LINGUISTIC CONTEXTS.
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Identifier
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AAI8023706
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identifier
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8023706
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Creator
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GRUNBERG, HELGA.
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Contributor
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Virginia Valian
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Date
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1980
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Psychology, Developmental
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Abstract
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The present project was based on a constructivist model of comprehension. The significance of lexical items is held to vary as a function of particular linguistic contexts. This requires interpretive, inferential activities on behalf of language users (see Bransford & McCarrell, 1974; Paris & Lindauer, 1977). Four- and 6-year-old children's ability to offer context appropriate interpretations of contexted target object terms which involved semantic inferences was explored. Eight experimental stories were constructed that highlighted but did not explicitly identify different attributes of four target object terms. Interpretive, inferential performance was evaluated on two experimental paradigms, namely a production and a forced choice task. On the production task, 12 4- and 12 6-year-olds were read the eight experimental stories in random orders. Following each story they were asked to indicate what the target object term was like. On the forced choice task, 12 children of each age group were read the same stories in random orders, and then requested to select, from a list of three items, the one best describing the target object term. On both experimental paradigms, children were required to provide rationales for their interpretations.;All children with the exception of one 4-year-old offered context appropriate interpretations for some target object terms. They demonstrated greater inferential skills than have been observed in studies of children's memory for inferential relations in prose (e.g., Liben & Posnansky, 1977; Paris & Lindauer, 1976). Developmental improvement of interpretive, inferential abilities was noted. The deployment of such skills was found to be affected by task requirements (production- versus forced choice task) and by the congruence of individual linguistic materials. Children's rationales for previous interpretations of target object terms revealed sensitivity to the import of linguistic contexts, as well as some ability to explicate semantic inferences. It was concluded that 4- and 6-year-olds are capable of approaching contexted object terms in a constructive, elaborative manner.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Psychology
