McGhee-Bidlack B
Department of Psychology, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI 49401.
J Child Lang. 1991 Jun;18(2):417-34. doi: 10.1017/s0305000900011132.
Defining is a metalinguistic skill. This study charts the development of the ability to define. A total of 120 participants (40 at each of the ages of 10, 14 and 18 years) defined eight concrete and eight abstract nouns. Each definition was coded to identify the types of responses present in it. Results indicate that there are significant differences in the way concrete and abstract nouns are defined. All three age-groups defined concrete nouns mainly by class and characteristic responses. But it was not until age 18 that abstract nouns were defined by class and characteristic responses. The development of abstract noun definitions follows the development of concrete noun definitions. The ability to define is dependent upon knowledge of the meaning of the word but it is also dependent upon implicit or explicit knowledge of the definitional form. The ability to define abstract nouns is a late developing metalinguistic skill.
下定义是一种元语言技能。本研究描绘了下定义能力的发展过程。共有120名参与者（10岁、14岁和18岁各40名）对8个具体名词和8个抽象名词进行定义。对每个定义进行编码，以识别其中出现的反应类型。结果表明，具体名词和抽象名词的定义方式存在显著差异。所有三个年龄组主要通过类别和特征反应来定义具体名词。但直到18岁，抽象名词才通过类别和特征反应来定义。抽象名词定义的发展遵循具体名词定义的发展。下定义的能力取决于对单词意义的了解，但也取决于对定义形式的隐性或显性知识。定义抽象名词的能力是一种发展较晚的元语言技能。
