| Title: |
No Evidence for Curiosity-Driven Information Selection Advantage in Infants' Novel Word Learning |
| Language: |
English |
| Authors: |
Marina Bazhydai (ORCID 0000-0001-9619-3975); Malcolm K. Y. Wong (ORCID 0000-0002-1068-3744); Elena Constanze Altmann (ORCID 0000-0002-8602-9845); Samuel David Jones (ORCID 0000-0002-8870-3223); Gert Westermann (ORCID 0000-0003-2803-1872) |
| Source: |
Developmental Science. 2026 29(1). |
| Availability: |
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us |
| Peer Reviewed: |
Y |
| Page Count: |
15 |
| Publication Date: |
2026 |
| Document Type: |
Journal Articles; Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: |
Infants; Vocabulary Development; Cognitive Processes; Personality Traits; Active Learning; Eye Movements; Information Seeking |
| DOI: |
10.1111/desc.70101 |
| ISSN: |
1363-755X; 1467-7687 |
| Abstract: |
The cognitive mechanisms and benefits of active learning in early child development are poorly understood. The current study investigated 20-23-month-old infants' curiosity-driven information selection in a novel word learning task, designed to identify any potential advantage for active learning over passive learning. In a gaze-contingent eye-tracking paradigm, infants in one condition were given the opportunity to structure their own information seeking to actively create word learning opportunities for themselves, while infants in two other conditions engaged in learning novel words passively. Infants' learning of word-object associations was compared across active and passive learning paradigms. The results indicate no advantage of active information selection on retention of novel words above and beyond passive learning, with infants across all conditions retaining novel words above chance. This study provides a crucial insight advancing our understanding of early word learning, and of the mechanisms and benefits of active, curiosity-based learning in infants. |
| Abstractor: |
As Provided |
| Notes: |
https://osf.io/ndthz |
| Entry Date: |
2026 |
| Accession Number: |
EJ1492020 |
| Database: |
ERIC |