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The development of noun definition*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 September 2008

Aileen Wehren ,
Richard De Lisi  and
Marjorie Arnold
Aileen Wehren
Affiliation:
Rutgers University
Richard De Lisi
Affiliation:
Rutgers University
Marjorie Arnold
Affiliation:
Rutgers University
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Abstract

This study investigated the development of noun definition by grade school children and adults (N = 100). Subjects were asked to define 15 common nouns in one of two conditions: with objects present or without objects present. Definitions were classified on the basis of perceptual attributes (CONCRETE), everyday usage (FUNCTIONAL) or a combination of these (COMBINATORIAL). Results were analysed with a 5 (Grade) × 2 (Condition × 3 (Category) Analysis of Variance which indicated no effects for condition, but a Grade × Category interaction. With increasing age, there was a shift from FUNCTIONAL to COMBINATORIAL definitions; CONCRETE definitions were infrequent for all grades. In addition, age changes were found in the forms of the definitions subjects produced. In contrast to the children, adults formulated definitions in a more complex Aristotelian form. It was concluded that noun definition is a metalinguistic ability which follows a course of development similar to that for the acquisition of word meaning.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Child Language , Volume 8 , Issue 1 , February 1981 , pp. 165 - 175
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1981

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Footnotes

[*]

Address for correspondence (to second or third author): Graduate School of Education, Rutgers University, 10 Seminary Place, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08903, U.S.A.

References

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