Influence of Visual Context Stability on Word Learning in Fourteen- and Nineteen-Month-Old Children

Abstract When hearing a label for a visible object, toddlers are also exposed to the visual context surrounding it. Our study investigates the role of the variability of this context during fast mapping in young children. Specifically, we compare word learning in French-learning fourteen- and nineteen-month-olds ( N = 41) using visually distinct and identical object pictures in a fast mapping eye-tracking paradigm. The results show a learning effect only in the visually distinct condition. This suggests that toddlers benefit from a variability in visual context during word learning in this crucial developmental period of early lexical acquisition.