Publications [#347648] of Reiko Mazuka

Journal Articles

1. Tsuji, S; Jincho, N; Mazuka, R; Cristia, A (2020). Communicative cues in the absence of a human interaction partner enhance 12-month-old infants' word learning.. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 191, 104740. [doi]
   (last updated on 2023/09/05)

   Abstract:
   Is infants' word learning boosted by nonhuman social agents? An on-screen virtual agent taught infants word-object associations in a setup where the presence of contingent and referential cues could be manipulated using gaze contingency. In the study, 12-month-old Japanese-learning children (N = 36) looked significantly more to the correct object when it was labeled after exposure to a contingent and referential display versus a noncontingent and nonreferential display. These results show that communicative cues can augment learning even for a nonhuman agent, a finding highly relevant for our understanding of the mechanisms through which the social environment supports language acquisition and for research on the use of interactive screen media.