The cognitive basis of the ability to interpret ambiguous utterances: focusing on "detection" and "response" to incongruence.

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K14176
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 10020:Educational psychology-related
• Research Institution: Tokoha University (2022); Kyushu Women's University (2020-2021)
• Principal Investigator: Murakami Taro 常葉大学, 保育学部, 准教授 (20762074)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 指示対象付与 / 語用論 / 選択的信頼 / 他者意図理解 / 幼児

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study focused on the pragmatic processing of interpreting referential intentions, "reference assignment". The study aimed to elucidate the developmental process of children's reference assignment strategy in social situations through behavioral experiments using the selective trust paradigm.
The results showed that the ability to evaluate the appropriateness of speech interpretation from a third-party perspective is present to some extent in 3- to 4-year-olds and that it is not until 5- to 6-year-olds that they are able to evaluate it explicitly. The results also showed that even 3- to 4-year-olds selectively learn from others who interpret appropriately rather than from others who do not interpret appropriately according to the context.

Free Research Field

発達心理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の結果から、発話解釈の適切性を第三者的な視点から評価する能力は3-4歳児でもある程度みられ、明示的に評価できるようになるのは5-6歳児であることが示された。また、3-4歳児でも、文脈に応じた適切な解釈を行わない他者より適切な解釈を行う他者から選択的に学習をすることが示された。これらの結果から、二者間のコミュニケーションがかみ合っているかどうかを第三者的に評価する能力は幼児期において既に獲得しており、さらにはコミュニケーションがかみ合っていない人よりかみ合っている人から選択的に学習する可能性を示唆している。