Ontogenetic Emergence of Cognitive Reference Comprehension

Autor/inn/en	Rüther, Johanna; Liszkowski, Ulf
Titel	Ontogenetic Emergence of Cognitive Reference Comprehension
Quelle	In: Cognitive Science, 44 (2020) 7, (19 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Rüther, Johanna)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1551-6709
DOI	10.1111/cogs.12869
Schlagwörter	Infants; Cognitive Processes; Cognitive Development; Comprehension; Expectation; Nonverbal Communication; Attention + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Infant; Toddler; Toddlers; Kleinkind; Cognitive process; Kognitiver Prozess; Kognitive Entwicklung; Verstehen; Verständnis; Expectancy; Erwartung; Non-verbal communication; Nonverbale Kommunikation; Aufmerksamkeit
Abstract	Prelinguistic cognitive reference comprehension is foundational to language acquisition and higher cognitive functions. However, its ontogenetic origins in the first year of life are currently not well understood. The current study pitted cognitivist against social interactionist views. We worked with infants monthly from 10 to 13 months of age and observed their behavioral search during a reference comprehension task. Our goal was to first establish the age at which infants begin to cognitively expect an occluded object in one of two locations following a communicative pointing cue. We then tested whether infants' cognitive referential expectations would prospectively predict social interaction skills and experiences (as assessed by spontaneous infant and parent pointing) or, conversely, be predicted by social interaction skills and experiences. Results revealed a linear increase in cognitive reference comprehension, with clear above chance performance, individual stability in month-to-month correlations, and a synchronous correlation to referential pointing all emerging at 12 months but not earlier. Regarding developmental predictions, infants' cognitive referential expectations were not predictive of social interaction skills and experiences; on the contrary, they were predicted by social interaction skills and experiences. Findings suggest that a nonverbal cognitive understanding of reference to occluded entities is neither early emerging, hard wired, nor causal to infants' or caregivers' referential pointing. Instead, this foundational skill is predicted by earlier social interaction. Findings are consistent with the view that cognitive reference comprehension develops via a social construction process in the first year of life. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01