Beyond Fast Mapping

Abstract

Since the seminal 1957 studies of word learning by Roger Brown, most experimental studies of lexical acquisition have concerned fast mapping: the process through which a new lexical entry is established, and through which representations of the linguistic context of a newly heard word interact with representations of its nonlinguistic context to fix an initial partial meaning. Here I focus on the subsequent extended process through which the adult meaning is approximated. Two factors lead to an extended learning process; the size of the hypothesis space and the need, sometimes, for the creation of new semantic primitives. Sometimes lexical learning requires conceptual change. I sketch a learning mechanism through which this can be achieved. A case study of learning the meanings of verbal numerals illustrates the argument.

Figure 1

External analog magnitude representation of number in which number is represented by line length.

Figure 2

Sample habituation sequences and test stimuli from Xu & Spelke (2000).

Figure 3

Two versions of the memory structures that might subserve parallel individuation of small sets of objects. In one, each object is represented by an object-file that abstracts away from specific features (OBJ). In the other, each object is represented by an object-file on which shape, color, texture and spatial extent features have been bound.