The Ohio State University, Center for Cognitive Science.
Cogn Sci. 2008 Mar;32(2):342-65. doi: 10.1080/03640210701863495.
Although it is well documented that language plays an important role in cognitive development, there are different views concerning the mechanisms underlying these effects. Some argue that even early in development, effects of words stem from top-down knowledge, whereas others argue that these effects stem from auditory input affecting attention allocated to visual input. Previous research (e.g., Robinson & Sloutsky, 2004a) demonstrated that non-speech sounds attenuate processing of corresponding visual input at 8, 12, and 16 months of age, whereas the current study demonstrates that words attenuate visual processing at 10 months but not at 16 months (Experiment 1). Furthermore, prefamiliarization with non-speech sounds (Experiment 2) resulted in able processing of visual input by 16-month-olds. These findings suggest that some effects of labels found early in development may stem from familiarity with human speech. The possibility of general-auditory factors underlying the effects of words on cognitive development is discussed.
尽管语言在认知发展中起着重要作用这一点已有充分的文献记载，但对于这些影响的背后机制仍存在不同的观点。一些人认为，即使在发展早期，单词的影响也源自自上而下的知识，而另一些人则认为这些影响源自听觉输入对视觉输入分配注意力的影响。先前的研究（例如，Robinson & Sloutsky，2004a）表明，非语音声音会削弱 8、12 和 16 个月大的婴儿对相应视觉输入的处理，而当前的研究表明，单词会削弱 10 个月大婴儿的视觉处理，但不会削弱 16 个月大婴儿的视觉处理（实验 1）。此外，非语音声音的预先熟悉（实验 2）导致 16 个月大的婴儿能够处理视觉输入。这些发现表明，在发展早期发现的一些标签的影响可能源自对人类言语的熟悉程度。讨论了言语对认知发展影响的背后可能存在一般听觉因素的可能性。
