Becoming word meaning experts: Infants' processing of familiar words in the context of typical and atypical exemplars

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Abstract
How do infants become word meaning experts? This registered report investigated the structure of infants' early lexical representations by manipulating the typicality of exemplars from familiar animal categories. 14- to 18-month-old infants (N = 84; 51 female; M = 15.7 months; race/ethnicity: 64% White, 8% Asian, 2% Hispanic, 1% Black, and 23% multiple categories; participating 2022–2023) were tested on their ability to recognize typical and atypical category exemplars after hearing familiar basic-level category labels. Infants robustly recognized both typical (d = 0.79, 95% CI [0.54, 1.03]) and atypical (d = 0.70, 95% CI [0.46, 0.94]) exemplars, with no significant difference between typicality conditions (d = 0.14, 95% CI [−0.08, 0.35]). These results support a broad-to-narrow account of infants' early word meanings. Implications for the role of experience in the development of lexical knowledge are discussed.
Funding Information
  • Waisman Center (U54 HD090256)
  • National Science Foundation (GRFP DGE-1747503)
  • National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (F32HD110174)
  • National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R37HD037466)
  • Waisman Center (U54 HD090256)
  • National Science Foundation (GRFP DGE‐1747503)
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (F32HD110174)
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R37HD037466)

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