Age of acquisition explained

Age of acquisition (AOA or AoA) is a psycholinguistic variable referring to the age at which a word is typically learned. For example, the word 'penguin' is typically learned at a younger age than the word 'albatross'. Studies in psycholinguistics suggest that age of acquisition has an effect on the speed of reading words.[1] [2] The findings have demonstrated that early-acquired words are processed more quickly than later-acquired words.[3] [4] [5] It is a particularly strong variable in predicting the speed of picture naming.[6] [7] It has been generally found that words that are more frequent, shorter, more familiar and refer to concrete concepts are learned earlier than the counterparts in simple words [8] and compound words, together with their respective lexemes.[9] In addition, the AoA effect has been demonstrated in several languages [10] [11] and in bilingual speakers.[12] [13]

Norms

Sets of normative values for age of acquisition for large sets of words have been developed.

Relation to other variables

It has been disputed whether age of acquisition has an effect on word tasks on its own or by virtue of its covariance with other variables such as word frequency.[19] Alternatively, it has been suggested that the age of acquisition is related to the fact that an earlier learned word has been encountered more often.[20] These issues were partially resolved in an article by Ghyselinck, Lewis and Brysbaert.[21]

Alternatively there have been discussions of the effect that the age of acquisition has on memory.[22] [23] [24] [25] The influence of AoA on recognition memory is likely to be present, using a pure and mixed lists. However, the AoA effect is not likely to be present in free recall tasks. However, there is evidence indicating that the AoA is present in free recall in compound words. One explanation for this is that disyllabic words such as compound words have more irregular spelling-to-sound correspondence, thus semantics is more likely to take place, while monomorphemic items have a more regular spelling-to-sound correspondence, thus semantics is less likely to take place.[26]

Theories on the age-of-acquisition effects

Representation theory

The AoA effects could be attributed to incremental construction of semantic representations.[27] [28] Early-acquired words develop stronger connections with other words as they have richer semantic representations, and are thus more resistant to cognitive impairment.[29]

Mapping theory

The AoA effects result from reduced neuroplasticity during the learning of mappings between representations over time.[30] [31] Early-acquired words use the rich resources available in the system, while late-acquired words need to fitted into the system already tuned to early-acquired words. Consequently, there is a processing cost for late-acquired words, especially for those having mapping structures that are different to early-acquired words.[32] [33] Opaque or deep languages such as English are more likely to show AoA effects, as a result of this mapping between letter and sound being irregular in opaque languages, leading to a larger AoA effects, whereas transparent or shallow languages such as Spanish are more likely to demonstrate small or no AoA effects, as the mapping between letter and sound is regular and late-acquired words can benefit from the structure created by early-acquired words.[34]

Integrated theory

This theory argued that the AoA effect could be explained by both the representation theory and mapping theory such that the AoA effect is observed as a consequence of incremental learning, resulting from both the construction of representations and changing plasticity in the learning system.[35] [36] [37] [38] Early-acquired words use the rich resources available in the system to develop stronger connections with newer words, thus developing richer semantic representations, while late-acquired words have to tune to early-acquired words and thus have fewer connections to other words. In turn, the late-acquired word not only has a different mapping structure but also a processing cost. However, within opaque languages, the AoA can differ depending on the level of imageability (i.e. how imageable an item is). If the item has high imageability, the AoA effect is more likely to be small or non-existent, whereas if the item has low imageability, the AoA effect is more likely to be large. In transparent languages such as Spanish, if the item has low imageability, the AoA effect will not be evident, whereas if the item has high imageability, the AoA will be demonstrated.[39]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Age-of-Acquisition Effects in Word and Picture Identification.
  2. Elsherif . M. M. . Preece . E. . Catling . J. C. . 2023-01-09 . Age-of-acquisition effects: A literature review. . Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition . 49 . 5 . 812–847 . en . 10.1037/xlm0001215 . 36622701 . 255545091 . 1939-1285. free .
  3. Meschyan. Gayane. Hernandez. Arturo. 2002-03-01. Age of acquisition and word frequency: Determinants of object-naming speed and accuracy. Memory & Cognition. en. 30. 2. 262–269. 10.3758/BF03195287. 12035888. 1532-5946. free.
  4. Morrison. Catriona M.. Ellis. Andrew W.. Quinlan. Philip T.. 1992-11-01. Age of acquisition, not word frequency, affects object naming, not object recognition. Memory & Cognition. en. 20. 6. 705–714. 10.3758/BF03202720. 1435273. 1532-5946. free.
  5. Catling. J. C.. Elsherif. M. M.. 2020-09-01. The hunt for the age of acquisition effect: It's in the links!. Acta Psychologica. en. 209. 103138. 10.1016/j.actpsy.2020.103138. 32805435. 221165538. 0001-6918.
  6. Brysbaert. Marc. Ellis. Andrew W.. 2016-11-01. Aphasia and age of acquisition: are early-learned words more resilient?. . 30 . 11 . 1240–1263 . 10.1080/02687038.2015.1106439. 4830641. 0268-7038.
  7. Perret. Cyril. Bonin. Patrick. 2019-12-01. Which variables should be controlled for to investigate picture naming in adults? A Bayesian meta-analysis. Behavior Research Methods. en. 51. 6. 2533–2545. 10.3758/s13428-018-1100-1. 30066263. 1554-3528. free.
  8. Web site: CogLab: Age of Acquisition. coglab.cengage.com. en. 2017-05-16.
  9. Elsherif. M.M.. Catling. J.C.. Frisson. S.. May 2020. Two words as one: A multi-naming investigation of the age-of-acquisition effect in compound-word processing. Memory & Cognition. en. 48. 4. 511–525. 10.3758/s13421-019-00986-6. 0090-502X. 7242258. 31755026.
  10. Chang. Ya-Ning. Lee. Chia-Ying. 2020-12-01. Age of acquisition effects on traditional Chinese character naming and lexical decision. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review. en. 27. 6. 1317–1324. 10.3758/s13423-020-01787-8. 1531-5320. 7704508. 32789580.
  11. Łuniewska. Magdalena. Haman. Ewa. Armon-Lotem. Sharon. Etenkowski. Bartłomiej. Southwood. Frenette. Anđelković. Darinka. Blom. Elma. Boerma. Tessel. Chiat. Shula. de Abreu. Pascale Engel. Gagarina. Natalia. 2016-09-01. Ratings of age of acquisition of 299 words across 25 languages: Is there a cross-linguistic order of words?. Behavior Research Methods. en. 48. 3. 1154–1177. 10.3758/s13428-015-0636-6. 26276517. 39703538. 1554-3528. free.
  12. Izura. Cristina. Ellis. Andrew W. 2004-02-01. Age of acquisition effects in translation judgement tasks. Journal of Memory and Language. en. 50. 2. 165–181. 10.1016/j.jml.2003.09.004. 0749-596X.
  13. Dirix. Nicolas. Duyck. Wouter. 2017-12-01. The first- and second-language age of acquisition effect in first- and second-language book reading. Journal of Memory and Language. en. 97. 103–120. 10.1016/j.jml.2017.07.012. 140116885 . 0749-596X.
  14. Web site: Age-of-acquisition ratings for 30 thousand English words . springer.com.
  15. Age-of-acquisition, imagery, concreteness, familiarity, and ambiguity measures for 1,944 words . 10.3758/BF03201693 . 12. 4. Behavior Research Methods & Instrumentation. 395–427 . Gilhooly . K. J.. 1980. free.
  16. Age of Acquisition Norms for a Large Set of Object Names and Their Relation to Adult Estimates and Other Variables . 10.1080/027249897392017 . 50. 3 . The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology Section A. 528–559 . Morrison . Catriona M.. August 1997 . 145696157 .
  17. Juhasz. Barbara J.. Lai. Yun-Hsuan. Woodcock. Michelle L.. December 2015. A database of 629 English compound words: ratings of familiarity, lexeme meaning dominance, semantic transparency, age of acquisition, imageability, and sensory experience. Behavior Research Methods. en. 47. 4. 1004–1019. 10.3758/s13428-014-0523-6. 25361864. 1554-3528. free.
  18. Scott. Graham G.. Keitel. Anne. Becirspahic. Marc. Yao. Bo. Sereno. Sara C.. 2019-06-01. The Glasgow Norms: Ratings of 5,500 words on nine scales. Behavior Research Methods. en. 51. 3. 1258–1270. 10.3758/s13428-018-1099-3. 1554-3528. 6538586. 30206797.
  19. Web site: Age-of-Acquisition Effects in Word and Picture Identification.
  20. Web site: Re-evaluating age-of-acquisition effects: are they simply cumulative-frequency effects?.
  21. Age of acquisition and the cumulative-frequency hypothesis: A review of the literature and a new multi-task investigation . 10.1016/j.actpsy.2003.11.002 . 14734241 . 115. 1 . Acta Psychologica. 43–67 . Ghyselinck . Mandy. January 2004 .
  22. Macmillan. Molly B.. Neath. Ian. Surprenant. Aimeé M.. 2021-07-01. Re-assessing age of acquisition effects in recognition, free recall, and serial recall. Memory & Cognition. en. 49. 5. 939–954. 10.3758/s13421-021-01137-6. 33558995. 231869671. 1532-5946. free.
  23. Lau. Mabel C. Goh. Winston D. Yap. Melvin J. 2018-10-01. An item-level analysis of lexical-semantic effects in free recall and recognition memory using the megastudy approach. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. en. 71. 10. 2207–2222. 10.1177/1747021817739834. 30226433. 52292000. 1747-0218.
  24. Catling . J. C. . Pymont . C. . Johnston . R. A. . Elsherif . M. M. . Clark . R. . Kendall . E. . 2021-05-28 . Age of acquisition effects in recognition without identification tasks . Memory . en . 29 . 5 . 662–674 . 10.1080/09658211.2021.1931695 . 0965-8211 . 34028339 . 235169015.
  25. Elsherif . Mahmoud M. . Catling . Jonathan C. . 2023-10-01 . Are two words recalled or recognised as one? How age-of-acquisition affects memory for compound words . Journal of Memory and Language . en . 132 . 104449 . 10.1016/j.jml.2023.104449 . 0749-596X. free .
  26. Cortese . Michael J. . Schock . Jocelyn . 2013-05-01 . Imageability and age of acquisition effects in disyllabic word recognition . Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology . en . 66 . 5 . 946–972 . 10.1080/17470218.2012.722660 . 23030642 . 27216655 . 1747-0218.
  27. Brysbaert. Marc. Ghyselinck. Mandy. 2006-05-01. The effect of age of acquisition: Partly frequency related, partly frequency independent. Visual Cognition. 13. 7–8. 992–1011. 10.1080/13506280544000165. 1854/LU-599273. 4835404. 1350-6285. free.
  28. Steyvers. Mark. Tenenbaum. Joshua B.. 2005. The Large-Scale Structure of Semantic Networks: Statistical Analyses and a Model of Semantic Growth. Cognitive Science. en. 29. 1. 41–78. 10.1207/s15516709cog2901_3. 21702767. 1551-6709. cond-mat/0110012. 6000627.
  29. Brysbaert. Marc. Ellis. Andrew W.. 2016-11-01. Aphasia and age of acquisition: are early-learned words more resilient?. . 30. 11. 1240–1263. 10.1080/02687038.2015.1106439. 4830641. 0268-7038.
  30. Ellis. Andrew W.. Lambon Ralph. Matthew A.. 2000. Age of acquisition effects in adult lexical processing reflect loss of plasticity in maturing systems: Insights from connectionist networks.. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition. en. 26. 5. 1103–1123. 10.1037/0278-7393.26.5.1103. 11009247 . 1939-1285.
  31. Monaghan. Padraic. Ellis. Andrew W.. 2010-11-01. Modeling reading development: Cumulative, incremental learning in a computational model of word naming. Journal of Memory and Language. en. 63. 4. 506–525. 10.1016/j.jml.2010.08.003. 0749-596X.
  32. Lambon Ralph. Matthew A.. Ehsan. Sheeba. 2006-05-01. Age of acquisition effects depend on the mapping between representations and the frequency of occurrence: Empirical and computational evidence. Visual Cognition. 13. 7–8. 928–948. 10.1080/13506280544000110. 1854/LU-599273. 53633875. 1350-6285. free.
  33. Zevin. Jason D.. Seidenberg. Mark S.. 2004-01-01. Age-of-acquisition effects in reading aloud: Tests of cumulative frequency and frequency trajectory. Memory & Cognition. en. 32. 1. 31–38. 10.3758/BF03195818. 15078042. 1532-5946. free.
  34. Elsherif . M. M. . Preece . E. . Catling . J. C. . 2023-01-09 . Age-of-acquisition effects: A literature review. . Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition . 49 . 5 . 812–847 . en . 10.1037/xlm0001215 . 36622701 . 255545091 . 1939-1285. free .
  35. Brysbaert. Marc. Ellis. Andrew W.. 2016-11-01. Aphasia and age of acquisition: are early-learned words more resilient?. . 30. 11 . 1240–1263. 10.1080/02687038.2015.1106439. 4830641. 0268-7038.
  36. Dirix. Nicolas. Duyck. Wouter. 2017-12-01. An eye movement corpus study of the age-of-acquisition effect. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review. en. 24. 6. 1915–1921. 10.3758/s13423-017-1233-8. 28116701. 22669248. 1531-5320. free.
  37. Menenti. Laura. Burani. Cristina. 2007-05-01. What causes the effect of age of acquisition in lexical processing?. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. en. 60. 5. 652–660. 10.1080/17470210601100126. 17455073. 11858/00-001M-0000-0012-2A1C-1. 13058539. 1747-0218. free.
  38. Elsherif. M.M.. Catling. J.C.. 2021-12-09. Age of acquisition effects on the decomposition of compound words. Journal of Cognitive Psychology. 34 . 3 . 325–338. 10.1080/20445911.2021.2013246. 245017698. 2044-5911.
  39. Elsherif . M. M. . Preece . E. . Catling . J. C. . 2023-01-09 . Age-of-acquisition effects: A literature review. . Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition . 49 . 5 . 812–847 . en . 10.1037/xlm0001215 . 36622701 . 255545091 . 1939-1285. free .

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Age of acquisition".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.