When words and pointing compete: Young children's referential comprehension under uncertainty

Abstract

The present research comprised two studies examining how 2- to 4-year-old children resolve referential uncertainty. Study 1 investigated first touches-objects initially selected or touched immediately-and takeaways-objects ultimately selected or given-as two distinct object selection behaviors, along with the verbal responses accompanying them. Study 2 explored how communicative context (i.e., preactivation of familiar object labels prior to object selection) and child characteristics (i.e., age, vocabulary knowledge, and selective attention) influenced children's referential strategies. Using a modified version of Grassmann and Tomasello's (2010) paradigm, two experimental conditions were implemented: In the Familiar-Familiar condition, when presented with two familiar objects, Experimenter 1 labeled one object to be given to Experimenter 2, while pointing to the other. In the Novel-Familiar condition, when presented with one novel and one familiar object, Experimenter 1 used a novel label while pointing to the familiar object. Results demonstrated that ostensive pointing was a stronger cue than verbal labeling in guiding children's object selections. Children modified their selections between first touches and takeaways in 17-34% of trials or verbally responded to the contradiction in 13-40% of trials. Furthermore, preactivation of familiar object labels and individual characteristics-particularly age and selective attention-were linked to variations in referential strategies. These findings highlight the complexity of referential resolution, where children integrate verbal and nonverbal cues, providing nuances about communicative development and insights about how it could be supported.