Berens, Sam C, Horst, Jessica S and Bird, Chris M (2018) Cross-situational learning is supported by propose-but-verify hypothesis testing. Current Biology, 28 (7). pp. 1132-1136. ISSN 0960-9822
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Abstract
When we encounter a new word, there are often multiple objects that the word might refer to [1]. Nonetheless, because names for concrete nouns are constant, we are able to learn them across successive encounters [2, 3]. This form of “cross-situational” learning may result from either associative mechanisms that gradually accumulate evidence for each word-object association [4, 5] or rapid propose-but-verify (PbV) mechanisms where only one hypothesized referent is stored for each word, which is either subsequently verified or rejected [6, 7]. Using model-based representation similarity analyses of fMRI data acquired during learning, we find evidence for learning mediated by a PbV mechanism. This learning may be underpinned by rapid pattern-separation processes in the hippocampus. Our findings shed light on the psychological and neural processes that support word learning, suggesting that adults rely on their episodic memory to track a limited number of word-object associations
Item Type: | Article |
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Keywords: | cross-situational learning, computational modeling, fMRI, hippocampus |
Schools and Departments: | School of Psychology > Psychology |
Research Centres and Groups: | Sussex Neuroscience |
Depositing User: | Ellena Adams |
Date Deposited: | 21 Mar 2018 11:54 |
Last Modified: | 15 Mar 2021 11:24 |
URI: | http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/74583 |
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