LLS Colloquium: Predicting to learn? The role of prediction (error) in children’s language processing and acquisition

On Wednesday 23rd February 2022, Chiara Gambi (Cardiff University) will be presenting on the role of prediction and prediction errors in children’s language processing and acquisition.

Predicting to learn? The role of prediction (error) in children’s language processing and acquisition

Starting from around their second birthday, children can quickly recognize the words they hear; what’s more, they can even predict upcoming words ahead of hearing them. Recent years have seen a surge in interest in the hypothesis that children’s ability to predict upcoming language may be key to the process of language acquisition, a hypothesis that is incorporated in influential computation models of language learning. Central to these models, in particular, is the idea that predictions drive learning when they are incorrect, because incorrect predictions, when compared to the input, generate informative learning signals (prediction error). But what is the evidence that children predict to learn? In this talk, I will present data from a series of large-scale studies of children aged 2 to 10 years, examining the role of prediction error in children’s learning of novel vocabulary and difficult sentence structures. Overall, these data paint a more complex picture than suggested by current computational models of the role of prediction error in children’s learning. Specifically, I will argue prediction error may support learning of sequential regularities earlier in development than it does learning of new words.

The talk will take place at 4pm on Zoom, and there will be an opportunity to ask questions at the end - you can join using this link. 

Event poster: LLS Colloquium: Predicting to learn? The role of prediction (error) in children’s language processing and acquisition