Natural reference: A phylo- and ontogenetic perspective on the comprehension of iconic gestures and vocalizations
Publikation: Beiträge in Zeitschriften › Zeitschriftenaufsätze › Forschung › begutachtet
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in: Developmental Science, Jahrgang 22, Nr. 2, e12757, 01.03.2019.
Publikation: Beiträge in Zeitschriften › Zeitschriftenaufsätze › Forschung › begutachtet
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Natural reference
T2 - A phylo- and ontogenetic perspective on the comprehension of iconic gestures and vocalizations
AU - Bohn, Manuel
AU - Call, Josep
AU - Tomasello, Michael
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd
PY - 2019/3/1
Y1 - 2019/3/1
N2 - The recognition of iconic correspondence between signal and referent has been argued to bootstrap the acquisition and emergence of language. Here, we study the ontogeny, and to some extent the phylogeny, of the ability to spontaneously relate iconic signals, gestures, and/or vocalizations, to previous experience. Children at 18, 24, and 36 months of age (N = 216) and great apes (N = 13) interacted with two apparatuses, each comprising a distinct action and sound. Subsequently, an experimenter mimicked either the action, the sound, or both in combination to refer to one of the apparatuses. Experiments 1 and 2 found no spontaneous comprehension in great apes and in 18-month-old children. At 24 months of age, children were successful with a composite vocalization-gesture signal but not with either vocalization or gesture alone. At 36 months, children succeeded both with a composite vocalization-gesture signal and with gesture alone, but not with vocalization alone. In general, gestures were understood better compared to vocalizations. Experiment 4 showed that gestures were understood irrespective of how children learned about the corresponding action (through observation or self-experience). This pattern of results demonstrates that iconic signals can be a powerful way to establish reference in the absence of language, but they are not trivial for children to comprehend and not all iconic signals are created equal.
AB - The recognition of iconic correspondence between signal and referent has been argued to bootstrap the acquisition and emergence of language. Here, we study the ontogeny, and to some extent the phylogeny, of the ability to spontaneously relate iconic signals, gestures, and/or vocalizations, to previous experience. Children at 18, 24, and 36 months of age (N = 216) and great apes (N = 13) interacted with two apparatuses, each comprising a distinct action and sound. Subsequently, an experimenter mimicked either the action, the sound, or both in combination to refer to one of the apparatuses. Experiments 1 and 2 found no spontaneous comprehension in great apes and in 18-month-old children. At 24 months of age, children were successful with a composite vocalization-gesture signal but not with either vocalization or gesture alone. At 36 months, children succeeded both with a composite vocalization-gesture signal and with gesture alone, but not with vocalization alone. In general, gestures were understood better compared to vocalizations. Experiment 4 showed that gestures were understood irrespective of how children learned about the corresponding action (through observation or self-experience). This pattern of results demonstrates that iconic signals can be a powerful way to establish reference in the absence of language, but they are not trivial for children to comprehend and not all iconic signals are created equal.
KW - evolution
KW - gesture
KW - iconicity
KW - language development
KW - onomatopoeia
KW - sound-symbolism
KW - Psychology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85055287051&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/desc.12757
DO - 10.1111/desc.12757
M3 - Journal articles
C2 - 30267557
AN - SCOPUS:85055287051
VL - 22
JO - Developmental Science
JF - Developmental Science
SN - 1363-755X
IS - 2
M1 - e12757
ER -