Crespo Kimberly, Kaushanskaya Margarita
Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders and Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
Q J Exp Psychol (Hove). 2025 Jul;78(7):1450-1460. doi: 10.1177/17470218241277805. Epub 2024 Sep 25.
When learning new words, listeners must contend with multiple sources of ambiguity and variability. Research has revealed that learners can resolve referential ambiguity by tracking co-occurrence statistics between words and their referents across multiple exposures over time-a process termed cross-situational word learning (XSWL). However, the degree to which variability in the input, such as input from multiple speakers, and variability in learner experience, such as bilingual language experience, modulate XSWL remains unclear. In this study, we examined the effects of speaker variability in XSWL performance in monolingual adults and bilingual adults with a range of second language backgrounds and language acquisition histories. Results revealed above-chance word learning in both the single and the multiple-speaker conditions across language groups. An advantage for word learning was observed in the single-speaker condition, but the effects of bilingual language experience were null. This research adds to the limited body of work dedicated to extending theories of statistical learning to account for variations in both input and learner characteristics as well as their interactions.
在学习新单词时，学习者必须应对多种模糊性和变异性来源。研究表明，学习者可以通过跟踪单词与其指代对象在多次接触过程中的共现统计信息来解决指代模糊性，这一过程被称为跨情境单词学习（XSWL）。然而，输入的变异性（如来自多个说话者的输入）和学习者经验的变异性（如双语语言经验）对XSWL的调节程度仍不清楚。在本研究中，我们考察了说话者变异性对单语成年人和具有一系列第二语言背景及语言习得历史的双语成年人XSWL表现的影响。结果显示，在所有语言组中，单说话者和多说话者条件下的单词学习成绩均高于随机水平。在单说话者条件下观察到了单词学习的优势，但双语语言经验的影响为零。这项研究为致力于将统计学习理论扩展以解释输入和学习者特征的变化及其相互作用的有限研究工作增添了内容。
