Three studies investigated preschoolers' self-directed learning ability in a naturalistic context: learning from overheard speech. In Experiment 1, 4.5- to 6-year-olds were exposed to 4 novel words and 6 arbitrary facts corresponding to a set of co-present toys; in Experiment 2, 3- to 4.5-year-olds heard 5 nouns and 3 facts. In the Pedagogical conditions, children were taught the information with the aid of multiple pedagogical cues, but in the Overhearing conditions, children had to ‘listen in’ to one side of a phone call to learn the information. Older preschoolers (Experiment 1) learned all items above chance in both conditions. Younger preschoolers (Experiment 2) learned words and facts above chance in the Pedagogical condition, but were at chance at learning words in the Overhearing condition, despite reliably learning facts from overhearing. Experiment 3 demonstrated that younger children's difficulty at learning new words from overhearing could not be explained by only being able to hear one side of the phone conversation, as they similarly struggled when the phone call took place over speakerphone. Measures of children's touch behavior suggest that older children were better able to coordinate their attention between the overheard speech and objects, though even younger children showed evidence of attention to the overheard speech. Together, our results demonstrate that by age 5, children can learn multiple new words and facts via overhearing. This self-directed learning ability depends on being able to coordinate attention between speech and the surrounding environment, a capacity that develops throughout preschool.

三项研究调查了学龄前儿童在自然背景下的自主学习能力：从听到的语音中学习。在实验 1 中，4.5 至 6 岁的儿童接触了 4 个新词和 6 个任意事实，对应于一组共同呈现的玩具；在实验 2 中，3 到 4.5 岁的孩子听到了 5 个名词和 3 个事实。在教学条件下，孩子们在多种教学线索的帮助下学习信息，但在窃听条件下，孩子们必须“听”电话的一侧才能了解信息。年龄较大的学龄前儿童（实验 1）在两种情况下都学会了所有高于机会的项目。年幼的学龄前儿童（实验 2）在教学条件下学习单词和事实的机会高于机会，但在偷听条件下有机会学习单词，尽管学习可靠偷听的事实。实验 3 表明，年幼的孩子从偷听中学习新单词的困难不能用只能听到电话交谈的一侧来解释，因为当通过免提通话时，他们同样会遇到困难。对儿童触摸行为的测量表明，年龄较大的儿童能够更好地在听到的讲话和物体之间协调他们的注意力，尽管即使是年幼的孩子也表现出对听到的讲话的注意力的证据。总之，我们的结果表明，到 5 岁时，儿童可以通过偷听学习多个新单词和事实。这种自主学习能力取决于能够协调言语和周围环境之间的注意力，这种能力在整个学龄前都会发展。