Language-specific numerical estimation in bilingual children.

We tested 5- to 7-year-old bilingual learners of French and English (N = 91) to investigate how language-specific knowledge of verbal numerals affects numerical estimation. Participants made verbal estimates for rapidly presented random dot arrays in each of their two languages. Estimation accuracy differed across children's two languages, an effect that remained when controlling for children's familiarity with number words across their two languages.

The role of prior knowledge and curiosity in learning.

Recent work has argued that curiosity can improve learning. However, these studies also leave open the possibility that being on the verge of knowing can itself induce curiosity. We investigate how prior knowledge relates to curiosity and subsequent learning using a trivia question task.

Differentiating scalar implicature from exclusion inferences in language acquisition.

During acquisition, children must learn both the meanings of words and how to interpret them in context. For example, children must learn the logical semantics of the scalar quantifier some and its pragmatically enriched meaning: 'some but not all'. Some studies have shown that 'scalar implicature' - that some implies 'some but not all' - poses a challenge even to nine-year-olds, while others find success by age three.

Cross-Cultural Differences in the Influence of Peers on Exploration During Play.

Certain social context features (e.g., maternal presence) are known to increase young children's exploration, a key process by which they learn.