Effects of transitional and phonotactic probability on word segmentation and simultaneous word mapping with visual stimuli across ambiguous trials

• Grant number: 18/18748-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: February 01, 2019
• End date: February 28, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Human Development Psychology
• Principal Investigator: Débora de Hollanda Souza
• Grantee: Isabella Toselli Prequero Sbrocco
• Host Institution: Centro de Educação e Ciências Humanas (CECH). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 14/50909-8 - INCT 2014: Behavior, Cognition and Teaching (INCT-ECCE): relational learning and symbolic functioning, AP.TEM

Abstract

Language development begins in the first months of life and it involves maturational and learning processes. Word segmentation and word mapping are some of the tasks involved in language acquisition. Word segmentation consists in the extraction of words from speech which is continuous in the natural environment. Word mapping refers to the assignment of words to referents. Recent studies show that, from early on, we show the ability to extract words from continuous speech based on their syllables' transitional probability. There is also evidence suggesting that segmentation may be facilitated by the presentation of visual cues. Other studies explore the interaction between segmentation and mapping. Results suggest that, even in ambiguous situations, when two words are presented simultaneously with two objects, participants can extract words and map them to their referents. Data from an original study in Brazil point to the role of phonotactic probability and its interaction with transitional probability. Considering the current literature and following this line of investigation, the present study aims to investigate the effect of the alignment or misalignment of transitional and phonotactic probabilities in a task of segmentation and simultaneous mapping during ambiguous trials. Procedure will be divided in three phases: familiarization with the language, a segmentation test, and a mapping test. Two versions of the same language will be used: the first will have transitional and phonotactic probabilities aligned and the second will have the probabilities misaligned. Our hypothesis is that word mapping will facilitate word segmentation regardless of the alignment of the two probabilities.