The relationship between the development of language and theory of mind: a phonological and syntactic approach

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K02711
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Linguistics
• Research Institution: Tsukuba University of Technology
• Principal Investigator: Kobayashi Yukino 筑波技術大学, 障害者高等教育研究支援センター, 講師 (80736116)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 川原 繁人 慶應義塾大学, 言語文化研究所(三田), 教授 (80718792) ; 桃生 朋子 目白大学, 外国語学部, 客員研究員 (30585807) ; 磯部 美和 山梨大学, 大学院総合研究部, 教授 (00449018) ; 岡部 玲子 専修大学, 文学部, 教授 (60512358)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 言語獲得 / 音象徴 / 受身文 / 視線計測 / 心の理論

Outline of Final Research Achievements

To clarify the correlation between the development of theory of mind (ToM) and language ability, this study conducted experiments on ToM, phonetics and phonology, and syntax, with 2-5-year-old children. These experiments included the Sally-Anne tasks, speech tasks, sound symbolic tasks, basic rhythm tasks, and comprehension tasks of passive and benefactive sentences.
The results showed that 2-3-year-old children had sound-symbolic associations and could modify speech clarity according to the situation. Additionally, Japanese rhythms were acquired in stages and mora-based counting was not an attribute of hiragana acquisition. Syntactic experiments showed that children around age five still found passive and benefactive sentences difficult. We argued that their difficulty was attributable to their sentence revision mechanisms, and not due to the development of ToM or understanding of a third person’s feelings.

Free Research Field

言語学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の学術的な意義は2点ある。1点目は、2-3歳児が音声・音韻についての基本的な知識や能力をすでに備えていることが実証された点である。2点目は、様々な要因が複合的に影響し合う幼児の受身文・受益文の獲得において、理解の困難さが心理的側面ではなく、言語的な側面に起因する可能性が示せた点である。いずれの点においても先行研究では明示されていない新しい研究結果であり、学術的意義は大きい。