Look before you speak: children's integration of visual information into informative referring expressions. Issue 5 (9th May 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: DAVIES, Catherine; KREYSA, Helene
• Is Part Of: Journal of child language. Volume 45:Issue 5(2018)
• Page Start: 1116
• Page End: 1143
• Publication Date: 2018-05-09
• Subjects: referring expressions, -- language production, -- eye-tracking; Children -- Language -- Periodicals; 401.9305
• DOI: 10.1017/S0305000918000120
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0305-0009

Abstract

Abstract: Children's ability to refer is underpinned by their developing cognitive skills. Using a production task (n = 57), we examined pre-articulatory visual fixations to contrast objects (e.g., to a large apple when the target was a small one) to investigate how visual scanning drives informativeness across development. Eye-movements reveal that although four-year-olds fixate contrast objects to a similar extent as seven-year-olds and adults, this does not result in explicit referential informativeness. Instead, four-year-olds frequently omit distinguishing information from their referring expressions regardless of the comprehensiveness of their visual scan. In contrast, older children make greater use of information gleaned from their visual inspections, like adults. Thus, we find a barrier not to theincidence of contrast fixations by younger children, but to theiruse of them in referential informativeness. We recommend that follow-up work investigates whether younger children's immature executive skills prevent them from describing referents in relation to contrast objects.