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Cognition and the verb lexicon in early lexical development

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 November 2008

Cheryl A. Smith  and
Jacqueline Sachs
Cheryl A. Smith*
Affiliation:
University of Vermont
Jacqueline Sachs
Affiliation:
University of Connecticut
*
Cheryl Smith, Department of Communication Science and Disorders, Allen House, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05401
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Abstract

The focus of this study is the cognitive/conceptual basis for the emergence of verbs in early lexical development. Twenty-four 12–19-month-old children were studied through (a) observation and maternal report of their acquisition of verbs in comprehension and production and (b) observation of nonverbal behavior reflected in play. There is substantive growth in the comprehension of verbs during this period, with a rapid increase between 14–16 months in the total number of verbs and decontextualized verbs comprehended, but no similar surge in production. Children's ability to consider others in the role of actor during play with objects was linked to the comprehension of verbs during this period; also, the ability to engage in symbolic action sequences on objects in play correlated with the decontextualized comprehension of verbs. These results suggest that underlying cognitive development in event representation may be related to the increased comprehension of verbs across contexts.

Type
Articles
Information
Applied Psycholinguistics , Volume 11 , Issue 4 , December 1990 , pp. 409 - 424
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1990

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