Skip to main content
Journal cover image

Young children's overgeneralizations with fixed transitivity verbs.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Brooks, PJ; Tomasello, M; Dodson, K; Lewis, LB
Published in: Child development
November 1999

The present study examined English-speaking children's tendency to make argument structure overgeneralization errors (e.g., I disappeared it). Children were exposed to several English verbs of fixed transitivity (exclusively intransitive or exclusively transitive) and then asked questions that encouraged them to overgeneralize usage of the verbs. Seventy-two children (24 in each of three age groups: 3, 4/5, and 8 years of age) experienced four actions performed by puppets. Each action had two verbs of similar meaning associated with it in the context of the experimental action: one more familiar to young children and one less familiar. Children at all ages were more likely to overgeneralize usage of verbs that were less familiar to them, supporting the hypothesis that children's usage of verbs in particular construction types becomes entrenched over time. As children solidly learn the transitivity status of particular verbs, they become more reluctant to use those verbs in other argument structure constructions.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Child development

DOI

EISSN

1467-8624

ISSN

0009-3920

Publication Date

November 1999

Volume

70

Issue

6

Start / End Page

1325 / 1337

Related Subject Headings

  • Verbal Learning
  • Semantics
  • Psycholinguistics
  • Male
  • Language Development
  • Humans
  • Generalization, Psychological
  • Female
  • Developmental & Child Psychology
  • Child, Preschool
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Brooks, P. J., Tomasello, M., Dodson, K., & Lewis, L. B. (1999). Young children's overgeneralizations with fixed transitivity verbs. Child Development, 70(6), 1325–1337. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8624.00097
Brooks, P. J., M. Tomasello, K. Dodson, and L. B. Lewis. “Young children's overgeneralizations with fixed transitivity verbs.Child Development 70, no. 6 (November 1999): 1325–37. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8624.00097.
Brooks PJ, Tomasello M, Dodson K, Lewis LB. Young children's overgeneralizations with fixed transitivity verbs. Child development. 1999 Nov;70(6):1325–37.
Brooks, P. J., et al. “Young children's overgeneralizations with fixed transitivity verbs.Child Development, vol. 70, no. 6, Nov. 1999, pp. 1325–37. Epmc, doi:10.1111/1467-8624.00097.
Brooks PJ, Tomasello M, Dodson K, Lewis LB. Young children's overgeneralizations with fixed transitivity verbs. Child development. 1999 Nov;70(6):1325–1337.
Journal cover image

Published In

Child development

DOI

EISSN

1467-8624

ISSN

0009-3920

Publication Date

November 1999

Volume

70

Issue

6

Start / End Page

1325 / 1337

Related Subject Headings

  • Verbal Learning
  • Semantics
  • Psycholinguistics
  • Male
  • Language Development
  • Humans
  • Generalization, Psychological
  • Female
  • Developmental & Child Psychology
  • Child, Preschool