Understanding Pragmatic Tolerance in Children
Author Information
Author(s): Katsos Napoleon, Bishop Dorothy V.M.
Primary Institution: University of Cambridge
Hypothesis
Children's acceptance of underinformative utterances is due to their tolerance of pragmatic violations rather than a lack of competence.
Conclusion
Children aged 5 to 6 are sensitive to informativeness but also tolerant of pragmatic violations, which affects their performance in judgment tasks.
Supporting Evidence
- Children accepted underinformative utterances at rates of only 29%.
- Adults rejected underinformative utterances at rates significantly higher than children.
- Children's performance did not significantly differ between scalar and non-scalar expressions.
Takeaway
Kids can understand when someone doesn't give enough information, but they often let it slide instead of saying it's wrong.
Methodology
Three studies were conducted with 5-to-6-year-old children and adults using binary and ternary judgment tasks to assess their understanding of informativeness.
Potential Biases
Potential biases in task design may affect the interpretation of children's responses.
Limitations
The study may not account for all factors influencing children's responses, such as processing demands or context.
Participant Demographics
20 5-to-6-year-old English-speaking children and 20 adults from the University of Cambridge.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.001
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Want to read the original?
Access the complete publication on the publisher's website