Backward Semantic Inhibition in Toddlers

Janette Chow, Anne M. Aimola Davies, Luis J. Fuentes, Kim Plunkett

Psychological Science · 2016 · Volume 27 · Issue 10

Abstract

Attention switching is a crucial ability required in everyday life, from toddlerhood to adulthood. In adults, shifting attention from one word (e.g., dog ) to another (e.g., sea ) results in backward semantic inhibition, that is, the inhibition of the initial word ( dog ). In this study, we used the preferential-looking paradigm to examine whether attention switching is accompanied by backward semantic inhibition in toddlers. We found that 24-month-olds can indeed refocus their attention to a new item by selectively inhibiting attention to the old item. The consequence of backward inhibition is that subsequent attention to a word semantically related to the old item is impaired. These findings have important implications for understanding the underlying mechanism of backward semantic inhibition and the development of lexical-semantic inhibition in early childhood.

Keywords

semantics, backward inhibition, attention switching, eye tracking, infant

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