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Bootstrapping and Lexical Bootstrapping| old_uid | 3816 |
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| title | Bootstrapping and Lexical Bootstrapping |
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| start_date | 2008/01/15 |
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| schedule | 10h-12h |
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| online | no |
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| location_info | amphi A |
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| summary | 1 Bootstrapping Theory of Cognitive Growth In the first part of the talk, it is argued that bootstrapping is the most central operation of cognitive growth (van Geert 1991; Carey 2004). Defining features of bootstrapping operations of cognitive development are identified, on the basis of which assumptions are formulated. One of these assumptions is that (1) cognitive growth is underlain by a complex web composed of different modalities of bi- and multidirectional bootstrapping relations. This assumption is based on the bootstrapping feature regarding relations of reciprocal determination involving a cognitive agent’s specific abilities belonging to different or also the same knowledge (sub)systems, as well as specific features of the cognitive agent’s environment (Thompson & Varela, 2001; Koslowski, 1996). Another central assumption is that (2) the construction of rule-based knowledge on the basis of exemplar-based knowledge is perhaps the most paradigmatic instance of bootstrapping in cognitive growth. This assumption is based on the bootstrapping feature regarding cognitive growth as creation of new or more complex cognitive resources which transcend the pre-available, more basic cognitive resources on which cognitive growth is based (Carey, 2004). 2 A Nonradical Lexical Bootstrapping (LexBoot) Hypothesis In the second part of the talk, the bootstrapping theory is discussed on the basis of empirical evidence from child language development research. The focus is on a nonradical LexBoot hypothesis, starting from the (predominantly parental-report-based) research on quantitative lexical and grammatical measures done or inspired by Elizabeth Bates and associates (e.g., Bates & Goodman, 1999; Szagun et al., 2006; Gutiérrez-Clellen et al., 2007), but also extending the perspective to the role of lexical-semantic knowledge for grammaticalization processes across development (Bassano, 2000; Li & Shirai, 2000). The main claim of LexBoot is about the determining or supportive role of previously acquired lexical and lexical-semantic knowledge for the development of grammatical abilities. The LexBoot hypothesis is nonradical in that, given assumption (1) above, the operationability of other bootstrapping operations are not precluded. In this context, LexBoot is viewed as one central strand within a complex web of bootstrapping relations which also includes modalities of ‘grammatical bootstrapping’ in which lexical learning is determined or facilitated by previously acquired grammatical skills (Naigles & Swensen, 2006; Moyle et al., 2007), as well as bootstrapping relations between lexical and phonological skills (Beckman & Edwards, to appear; Wauquier to appear), and between lexical and general-purpose abilities (Gentner 2003). Also, consistent with assumption (2) above, it is argued that a central instance of LexBoot is the emergence and development of rule-based grammatical knowledge on the basis of item-based lexical knowledge. In this context, a special focus lies on the role of relational words in the one-word stage as precursors of verbs in the multiword stage (McCune & Herr-Israel, to appear), as well as the role of semantics of first verbs for emergence and patterning of verb-argument constructions (Ninio 1999, 2005). 3 Theoretical Implications In the third and final part of the talk, it is showed that both bootstrapping theory and LexBoot hypothesis have relevant implications related to central debates in theories of cognitive growth in general and language development in particular, such as modular vs. network architecture of human cognition in general and of language knowledge in particular, interface vs. continuity perspective, exemplar-based vs. rule-based learning, significance of a lexicalist perspective of language development, the noun-bias discussion, among others. |
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| oncancel | séance annulée |
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| responsibles | Kern |
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