TY - JOUR
T1 - The map trap
T2 - Why and how word learning research should move beyond mapping
AU - Wojcik, Erica H.
AU - Zettersten, Martin
AU - Benitez, Viridiana L.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.
PY - 2022/7/1
Y1 - 2022/7/1
N2 - A pervasive goal in the study of how children learn word meanings is to explain how young children solve the mapping problem. The mapping problem asks how language learners connect a label to its referent. Mapping is one part of word learning, however, it does not reflect other critical components of word meaning construction, such as the encoding of lexico-semantic relations and socio-pragmatic context. In this paper, we argue that word learning researchers' overemphasis of mapping has constrained our experimental paradigms and hypotheses, leading to misconceived theories and policy interventions. We first explain how the mapping focus limits our ability to study the richness and complexity of what infants and children learn about, and do with, word meanings. Then, we describe how our focus on mapping has constrained theory development. Specifically, we show how it has led to (a) the misguided emphasis on referent selection and ostensive labeling, and (b) the undervaluing of diverse pathways to word knowledge, both within and across cultures. We also review the consequences of the mapping focus outside of the lab, including myopic language learning interventions. Last, we outline an alternative, more inclusive approach to experimental study and theory construction in word learning research. This article is categorized under: Psychology > Language Psychology > Theory and Methods Psychology > Learning.
AB - A pervasive goal in the study of how children learn word meanings is to explain how young children solve the mapping problem. The mapping problem asks how language learners connect a label to its referent. Mapping is one part of word learning, however, it does not reflect other critical components of word meaning construction, such as the encoding of lexico-semantic relations and socio-pragmatic context. In this paper, we argue that word learning researchers' overemphasis of mapping has constrained our experimental paradigms and hypotheses, leading to misconceived theories and policy interventions. We first explain how the mapping focus limits our ability to study the richness and complexity of what infants and children learn about, and do with, word meanings. Then, we describe how our focus on mapping has constrained theory development. Specifically, we show how it has led to (a) the misguided emphasis on referent selection and ostensive labeling, and (b) the undervaluing of diverse pathways to word knowledge, both within and across cultures. We also review the consequences of the mapping focus outside of the lab, including myopic language learning interventions. Last, we outline an alternative, more inclusive approach to experimental study and theory construction in word learning research. This article is categorized under: Psychology > Language Psychology > Theory and Methods Psychology > Learning.
KW - child-directed speech
KW - label-referent mapping
KW - lexico-semantic network
KW - ostensive labeling
KW - word learning
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U2 - 10.1002/wcs.1596
DO - 10.1002/wcs.1596
M3 - Article
C2 - 35507459
AN - SCOPUS:85129820460
SN - 1939-5078
VL - 13
JO - Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Cognitive Science
JF - Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Cognitive Science
IS - 4
M1 - e1596
ER -