Smalle, E. 1 , Bogaerts, L. 2 , Simonis, M. 3 , Duyck, W. 2 , Page, M. 3 , Edwards, M. 1 & Szmalec , A. 1
1 Psychological Sciences Research Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve
2 Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University
3 Department of Psychology, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield
The current research aims to shed new light on the cognitive origins of age-dependent sensitivities in language acquisition. We will present a series of developmental experiments that focus on the interaction between memory and language, using the Hebb repetition paradigm. In a first study, we manipulated statistical complexity of verbal Hebb sequence learning input by presenting two sequence structures that differed in their amount of first-order item overlap with random sequences. We observed better learning in children compared to adults but only when first order probabilities were not impeded by overlap. First-order chunking preference was also observed in children?s response behavior while adults preferred higher order responses. In a second study, we manipulated implicitness of Hebb learning input by use of instructions. Learning was better when instructed explicitly, but only for adults. Children in contrast showed better offline saving, especially under implicit instructions. In a third experiment, we manipulated lexical consolidation of word-forms acquired through either implicit or explicit Hebb learning. We showed better immediate lexicalization effects for explicitly learned words in adults. Children in contrast showed better offline lexicalization effects (after one week) for implicitly learned words. These findings are discussed in light of sensitive periods for language acquisition.