Project Wurmloch
Vocabulary from (at least) two sides
The idea of the ‘wormhole’ is often used in science fiction to visualise different dimensions of a plot.
In this pilot study with pre-school and primary school children, we try to transfer this idea to the development of knowledge of meaning.
For example, how do environmental changes relate to the development of semantic knowledge?
Research on semantic development suggests that vocabulary growth in young children (0-3 years) is strongly dependent on the frequency of co-occurrence of words in the surrounding language (Fourtassi et al., 2020). But what happens when children get older and move around in many environments? How does children’s sensitivity and attention to their environment affect the development of their language comprehension? Wormhole is a pilot study that is beginning to answer these questions. We are collecting data on the mental representation of semantic relations in preschool and primary school children (Unger et al., 2020). We are also asking parents detailed questions about environmental factors, the child’s interests, and the child’s interaction with the environment. In this way, we will investigate whether there is a relationship between environmental change, interests or neurodiversity and vocabulary development that we can make tangible.
Selected publications
Schmitterer, A. M., & Schroeder, S. (2019). Young children’s ability to distinguish thematic relations: Development and predictive value for early reading. Cognitive Development, 50, 22-35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogdev.2019.01.002
Funding
