No Evidence for Curiosity‐Driven Information Selection Advantage in Infants’ Novel Word Learning
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The cognitive mechanisms and benefits of active learning in early child development are poorly understood. The current study investigated 20-23-month-old infants' curiosity-driven information selection in a novel word learning task, designed to identify any potential advantage for active learning over passive learning. In a gaze-contingent eye-tracking paradigm, infants in one condition were given the opportunity to structure their own information seeking to actively create word learning opportunities for themselves, while infants in two other conditions engaged in learning novel words passively. Infants' learning of word-object associations was compared across active and passive learning paradigms. The results indicate no advantage of active information selection on retention of novel words above and beyond passive learning, with infants across all conditions retaining novel words above chance. This study provides a crucial insight advancing our understanding of early word learning, and of the mechanisms and benefits of active, curiosity-based learning in infants. SUMMARY: We investigated the effect of active, curiosity-driven word learning, as compared to passive word learning, on infants' label recognition. Infants' self-motivated information selection was tested using a novel word learning task in a gaze-contingent eye-tracking paradigm. Self-motivated information selection had no effect on early word learning above and beyond passive learning, with infants across all conditions retaining novel words above chance. This provides novel insights into infants' active and passive learning for language acquisition.
Source: Developmental Science
DOI: 10.1111/desc.70101
Institutions: Lancaster University, University of Göttingen, Bangor University
Language: English
Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,140
OpenAlex ID: W4416792713