First Word Learning

2018 ◽  
pp. 713-735
Author(s):  
Marilyn May Vihman
Keyword(s):  
Word Learning ◽  
Declarative Memory ◽  
Word Meaning ◽  
Qualitative Change ◽  
Brain Structures ◽  
Perceptual Processing ◽  
Word Forms ◽  
Episodic Memories ◽  
Vocabulary Spurt

Learning words means gaining the ability not only to understand, but also to produce identifiable word forms and use them to make reference. Focusing on the first two years of life, this chapter considers the role of isolated words as well as segmentation in word-form learning, and also the role of vocal practice for production. It reviews alternative perspectives on the origins of concepts or categories of meaning and weighs the evidence for a “vocabulary spurt” or “nominal insight.” Self-action is found to be a powerful tool for perceptual processing of word forms, understanding referential intention, and retaining episodic memories. Changes related to the maturation of brain structures documented for declarative memory in other domains provide suggestive parallels to the processes of decontextualization of word meaning and reference, while word learning itself is seen to lead to a qualitative change in the learning process.

Using Speakers' Referential Intentions to Model Early Cross-Situational Word Learning

2009 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 578-585 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael C. Frank ◽  
Noah D. Goodman ◽  
Joshua B. Tenenbaum
Keyword(s):  
Computational Model ◽  
Word Learning ◽  
Word Meaning ◽  
Mutual Exclusivity ◽  
Object Individuation ◽  
Word Meanings ◽  
Inference Problems ◽  
Corpus Data ◽  
Situational Learning

Word learning is a “chicken and egg” problem. If a child could understand speakers' utterances, it would be easy to learn the meanings of individual words, and once a child knows what many words mean, it is easy to infer speakers' intended meanings. To the beginning learner, however, both individual word meanings and speakers' intentions are unknown. We describe a computational model of word learning that solves these two inference problems in parallel, rather than relying exclusively on either the inferred meanings of utterances or cross-situational word-meaning associations. We tested our model using annotated corpus data and found that it inferred pairings between words and object concepts with higher precision than comparison models. Moreover, as the result of making probabilistic inferences about speakers' intentions, our model explains a variety of behavioral phenomena described in the word-learning literature. These phenomena include mutual exclusivity, one-trial learning, cross-situational learning, the role of words in object individuation, and the use of inferred intentions to disambiguate reference.

scholarly journals Contextual Prediction Errors Reorganize Episodic Memories in Time

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fahd Yazin ◽  
Moumita Das ◽  
Arpan Banerjee ◽  
Dipanjan Roy
Keyword(s):  
Declarative Memory ◽  
Temporal Organization ◽  
Prediction Errors ◽  
Decision Threshold ◽  
Time Dimension ◽  
Memory Processing ◽  
Sequential Memory ◽  
Episodic Memories ◽  
Novel Associations

AbstractEpisodic memories are contextual experiences ordered in time. This is underpinned by associative binding between events within the same contexts. The role of prediction errors in strengthening declarative memory is well established but has not been investigated in the time dimension of complex episodic memories. Here we used 3-day movie viewing paradigm to test the hypothesis that contextual prediction errors leads to temporal organization of sequential memory processing. Our main findings uncover that prediction errors lead to changes in temporal organization of events, secondly, new unexpected sequences show as high accuracy as control sequences viewed repeatedly, and these effects are specifically due to prediction errors, and not novel associations. A drift-diffusion modelling further revealed a lower decision threshold for the newer, unexpected sequences compared to older sequences reflected by their faster recall leads to reorganization of episodes in time. Moreover, we found individual decision threshold could significantly predict their relative speed of sequence memory recall. Taking together our results suggest a temporally distinct role for prediction errors in ordering sequences of events in episodic memory.

scholarly journals Contextual Prediction Errors Reorganize Naturalistic Episodic Memories in Time

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fahd Yazin ◽  
Moumita Das ◽  
Arpan Banerjee ◽  
Dipanjan Roy
Keyword(s):  
Declarative Memory ◽  
Prediction Errors ◽  
Decision Threshold ◽  
Time Dimension ◽  
Drift Diffusion ◽  
Temporal Domain ◽  
Sequence Memory ◽  
Episodic Memories ◽  
Adaptive Role

Abstract Episodic memories are contextual experiences ordered in time. This is underpinned by associative binding between events within the same contexts. The role of prediction errors in declarative memory is well established but has not been investigated in the time dimension of complex episodic memories. Here we combine these two properties of episodic memory, extend them into the temporal domain and demonstrate that prediction errors in different naturalistic contexts lead to changes in the temporal ordering of event structures in them. The wrongly predicted older sequences were weakened despite reactivating them after. Interestingly, the newly encoded sequences with prediction errors, seen once, showed as high accuracy as control sequences which were viewed repeatedly without change. Drift-diffusion modelling revealed a lower decision threshold for the newer sequences compared to older sequences, reflected by their faster recall. Moreover participants’ adjustments to their decision threshold could significantly predict their relative speed of sequence memory recall. This suggests a temporally distinct and adaptive role for prediction errors in learning and reorganizing episodic sequences.

Word Learning in 6-Month-Olds: Fast Encoding–Weak Retention

2011 ◽  
Vol 23 (11) ◽  
pp. 3228-3240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuela Friedrich ◽  
Angela D. Friederici
Keyword(s):  
Semantic Memory ◽  
Word Learning ◽  
Declarative Memory ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Brain Structures ◽  
Memory Formation ◽  
Fast Encoding ◽  
Frequent Exposure ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Lexical Mapping

There has been general consensus that initial word learning during early infancy is a slow and time-consuming process that requires very frequent exposure, whereas later in development, infants are able to quickly learn a novel word for a novel meaning. From the perspective of memory maturation, this shift in behavioral development might represent a shift from slow procedural to fast declarative memory formation. Alternatively, it might be caused by the maturation of specific brain structures within the declarative memory system that may support lexical mapping from the very first. Here, we used the neurophysiological method of ERPs to watch the brain activity of 6-month-old infants, when repeatedly presented with object–word pairs in a cross-modal learning paradigm. We report first evidence that infants as young as 6 months are able to associate objects and words after only very few exposures. A memory test 1 day later showed that infants did not fully forget this newly acquired knowledge, although the ERP effects indicated it to be less stable than immediately after encoding. The combined results suggest that already at 6 months the encoding process of word learning is based on fast declarative memory formation, but limitations in the consolidation of declarative memory diminish the long lasting effect in lexical-semantic memory at that age.

scholarly journals Contextual prediction errors reorganize naturalistic episodic memories in time

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fahd Yazin ◽  
Moumita Das ◽  
Arpan Banerjee ◽  
Dipanjan Roy
Keyword(s):  
Declarative Memory ◽  
Prediction Errors ◽  
Decision Threshold ◽  
Time Dimension ◽  
Temporal Domain ◽  
Sequence Memory ◽  
Episodic Memories ◽  
Temporal Sequences ◽  
Adaptive Role

AbstractEpisodic memories are contextual experiences ordered in time. This is underpinned by associative binding between events within the same contexts. The role of prediction errors in declarative memory is well established but has not been investigated in the time dimension of complex episodic memories. Here we combine these two properties of episodic memory, extend them into the temporal domain and demonstrate that prediction errors in different naturalistic contexts lead to changes in the temporal ordering of event structures in them. The wrongly predicted older sequences were weakened despite their reactivation. Interestingly the newly encoded sequences with prediction errors, seen once, showed accuracy as high as control sequences which were viewed repeatedly without change. Drift–diffusion modelling revealed a lower decision threshold for the newer sequences than older sequences, reflected by their faster recall. Moreover, participants’ adjustments to their decision threshold significantly correlated with their relative speed of sequence memory recall. These results suggest a temporally distinct and adaptive role for prediction errors in learning and reorganizing episodic temporal sequences.

Measuring Word Learning Ability in Sequential Bilingual Children

2010 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pui Fong Kan
Keyword(s):  
Word Learning ◽  
Learning Ability ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Word Knowledge ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Learning Skills ◽  
Word Forms ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Novel Word Learning ◽  
L1 And L2

Abstract The purpose of this article is to look at the word learning skills in sequential bilingual children—children who learn two languages (L1 and L2) at different times in their childhood. Learning a new word is a process of learning a word form and relating this form to a concept. For bilingual children, each concept might need to map onto two word forms (in L1 and in L2). In case studies, I present 3 typically developing Hmong-English bilingual preschoolers' word learning skills in Hmong (L1) and in English (L2) during an 8-week period (4 weeks for each language). The results showed gains in novel-word knowledge in L1 and in L2 when the amount of input is equal for both languages. The individual differences in novel word learning are discussed.

The role of serotoninergic brain structures in neurotensin influence mechanism on defensive behavior in rats

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. P. Shugalev ◽  
A. V. Stavrovskaja ◽  
S. Olshanskij ◽  
G. Hartmann ◽  
L. Lenard
Keyword(s):  
Defensive Behavior ◽  
Brain Structures ◽  
Influence Mechanism

scholarly journals GPER-Deficient Rats Exhibit Lower Serum Corticosterone Level and Increased Anxiety-Like Behavior

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Zheng ◽  
Meimei Wu ◽  
Ting Gao ◽  
Li Meng ◽  
Xiaowei Ding ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hpa Axis ◽  
Corticosterone Level ◽  
Brain Structures ◽  
Ample Evidence ◽  
Genetic Ablation ◽  
Serum Corticosterone ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
G Protein Coupled ◽  
Prolonged Stress

Ample evidence suggests that estrogens have strong influences on the occurrence of stress-related mood disorders, but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Through multiple approaches, we demonstrate that the G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) is widely distributed along the HPA axis and in brain structures critically involved in mood control. Genetic ablation of GPER in the rat resulted in significantly lower basal serum corticosterone level but enhanced ACTH release in response to acute restraint stress, especially in the female. GPER-/- rats of either sex displayed increased anxiety-like behaviors and deficits in learning and memory. Additionally, GPER deficiency led to aggravation of anxiety-like behaviors following single-prolonged stress (SPS). SPS caused significant decreases in serum corticosterone in WT but not in GPER-deficient rats. The results highlight an important role of GPER at multiple sites in regulation of the HPA axis and mood.

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