Naturalistic studies show that children can create language-like communication systems in the absence of conventional language. However, experimental evidence is mixed. We address this discrepancy using an experimental paradigm that simulates naturalistic sign creation. Specifically, we tested if a sample of 6- to 12-year-old children (52 girls and 56 boys drawn from an urban, predominantly white population in Western Australia) can comprehend and create novel gestural and vocal signs. Experiment 1 tested children’s ability to comprehend novel signs. Experiment 2 tested children’s ability to create novel signs. Results show that children can comprehend and create gestural and vocal signs, that communication is more successful in the gesture modality, and that older children outperform younger children.

中文翻译：

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儿童在手势和声音模式中创造符号的横断面测试

自然主义研究表明，儿童可以在没有传统语言的情况下创建类似语言的交流系统。然而，实验证据好坏参半。我们使用模拟自然符号创建的实验范式来解决这种差异。具体来说，我们测试了一个 6 至 12 岁儿童样本（52 名女孩和 56 名男孩来自西澳大利亚城市，主要是白人）是否能够理解和创造新的手势和声音标志。实验 1 测试了儿童理解新符号的能力。实验 2 测试了儿童创造新符号的能力。结果表明，儿童可以理解和创造手势和声音符号，在手势模式下交流更成功，并且年龄较大的儿童优于年幼的儿童。