1990/02/01 by Beverly A. Goldfield, J. Steven Reznick · 6 citations
Psychology · #Child and Animal Learning Development #Language Development and Disorders #Reading and Literacy Development
paper · doi:10.1017/s0305000900013167
openalex publication_date 1990/02/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
The transition from slow to rapid word-learning was examined in a longitudinal study of 18 children. Beginning at age 1.2, mothers kept a diary of children's words. Diary entries were discussed during phone calls to the home every 2 1/2 weeks. A chronological record of nouns and other word classes was coded from the diary records. Thirteen children evidenced a prolonged period of up to three months during which rate of acquisition markedly increased. Almost three-quarters of the words learned during this period were nouns. Five children evidenced more gradual word-learning, and acquired a balance of nouns and other word classes. These results suggest that the terms 'vocabulary spurt' and 'naming explosion' best describe children who focus their early linguistic efforts on a single strategy: learning names for things. Other children may attempt to encode a broad range of experience with a more varied lexicon, a strategy that results in more gradual lexical growth.