ABSTRACT Children learning a verb may benefit from hearing it across situations . At the same time, in everyday contexts, situations in which a verb is heard will be interrupted by distracting events. Using Structural Alignment theory as a framework, Study 1 asks whether children can learn a verb when irrelevant, interleaved events are present. Two½- and 3½-year-old children saw dynamic events and were randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions (differing in orders of events) or one of two control conditions. They extended the verbs in the experimental conditions, and not the control conditions. Three ½-year-olds were more successful than 2½-year-olds, though the younger children could extend verbs. A more difficult task is segmenting dynamic action into subevents that could be relevant for a verb (e.g., finding “chopping” in a cooking scene). In Study 2, 2½-, 3½-, and 4½-year-old children were assigned to experimental conditions in which relevant events flowed into irrelevant events (or vice versa) or to a control. Two½-year-olds failed to extend the verbs at test, differing from the older children; children in experimental conditions extended the verbs while children in the control condition did not. Altogether, these results show children can ignore irrelevant events (and subevents), and extend new verbs by 3½ years. Results are important to understand learning in everyday contexts in which verbs are heard in varied situations over time.

中文翻译：

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在动词学习期间，幼儿可以忽略不相关的事件或子事件吗？

摘要 儿童学习动词可能会受益于在各种情况下听到它。同时，在日常语境中，听到动词的情况会被分散注意力的事件打断。使用结构对齐理论作为框架，研究 1 询问儿童是否可以在不相关的、交错的事件出现时学习动词。2.5 岁和 3.5 岁的儿童看到动态事件，并被随机分配到三个实验条件之一（事件顺序不同）或两个控制条件之一。他们扩展了实验条件下的动词，而不是控制条件下的动词。三个 ½ 岁的孩子比 2½ 岁的孩子更成功，尽管年幼的孩子可以扩展动词。更困难的任务是将动态动作分割成可能与动词相关的子事件（例如，在烹饪场景中找到“切碎”）。在研究 2 中，2½ 岁、3½ 岁和 4½ 岁的儿童被分配到相关事件流入无关事件（或反之亦然）或对照组的实验条件中。2.5 岁的孩子在测试中未能扩展动词，这与年龄较大的孩子不同；实验条件下的儿童​​扩展了动词，而控制条件下的儿童​​则没有。总之，这些结果表明儿童可以忽略不相关的事件（和子事件），并将新动词延长 3.5 年。结果对于理解日常语境中的学习很重要，在这种语境中，随着时间的推移会在不同的情况下听到动词。2.5 岁的孩子在测试中未能扩展动词，这与年龄较大的孩子不同；实验条件下的儿童​​扩展了动词，而控制条件下的儿童​​则没有。总之，这些结果表明儿童可以忽略不相关的事件（和子事件），并将新动词延长 3.5 年。结果对于理解日常语境中的学习很重要，在这种语境中，随着时间的推移会在不同的情况下听到动词。2.5 岁的孩子在测试中未能扩展动词，这与年龄较大的孩子不同；实验条件下的儿童​​扩展了动词，而控制条件下的儿童​​则没有。总之，这些结果表明儿童可以忽略不相关的事件（和子事件），并将新动词延长 3.5 年。结果对于理解日常语境中的学习很重要，在这种语境中，随着时间的推移会在不同的情况下听到动词。