Title | Learning in reverse: eight-month-old infants track backward transitional probabilities. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2009 |
Authors | Pelucchi B, Hay JF, Saffran JR |
Journal | Cognition |
Volume | 113 |
Issue | 2 |
Pagination | 244-7 |
Date Published | 2009 Nov |
ISSN | 1873-7838 |
Keywords | Attention, Auditory Perception, Cognition, Discrimination Learning, Female, Humans, Infant, Infant Behavior, Language Development, Male, Probability, Recognition (Psychology), Speech Perception, Vocabulary |
Abstract | Numerous recent studies suggest that human learners, including both infants and adults, readily track sequential statistics computed between adjacent elements. One such statistic, transitional probability, is typically calculated as the likelihood that one element predicts another. However, little is known about whether listeners are sensitive to the directionality of this computation. To address this issue, we tested 8-month-old infants in a word segmentation task, using fluent speech drawn from an unfamiliar natural language. Critically, test items were distinguished solely by their backward transitional probabilities. The results provide the first evidence that infants track backward statistics in fluent speech. |
DOI | 10.1016/j.cognition.2009.07.011 |
Alternate Journal | Cognition |
PubMed ID | 19717144 |
PubMed Central ID | PMC2763958 |
Grant List | P30 HD003352 / HD / NICHD NIH HHS / United States F32-HD557032 / HD / NICHD NIH HHS / United States R01 HD037466 / HD / NICHD NIH HHS / United States P30HD03352 / HD / NICHD NIH HHS / United States R01HD37466 / HD / NICHD NIH HHS / United States R01 HD037466-05A1 / HD / NICHD NIH HHS / United States |