Fast Mapping Across Time: Memory Processes Support Children’s Retention of Learned Words

Frontiers in Psychology

Haley A. Vlach¹ 

关键词: word learning;    fast mapping;    memory and learning;    long-term memory;    forgetting;    forgetting curves;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00046

学科分类：心理学（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Children’s remarkable ability to map linguistic labels to referents in the world is commonly called fast mapping. The current study examined children’s (N = 216) and adults’ (N = 54) retention of fast-mapped words over time (immediately, after a 1-week delay, and after a 1-month delay). The fast mapping literature often characterizes children’s retention of words as consistently high across timescales. However, the current study demonstrates that learners forget word mappings at a rapid rate. Moreover, these patterns of forgetting parallel forgetting functions of domain-general memory processes. Memory processes are critical to children’s word learning and the role of one such process, forgetting, is discussed in detail – forgetting supports extended mapping by promoting the memory and generalization of words and categories.

【 授权许可】

CC BY