Abstract Language development is a foundational predictor of later academic achievement, social functioning, and long-term well-being. Much of early vocabulary growth occurs in ambiguous contexts in which children must infer the referent of a novel word. Despite this uncertainty, toddlers are remarkably adept at determining word meanings. However, little is known about the neural systems that support these processes or how bilingual experience may shape them.
This talk integrates findings from two neuroimaging studies examining fast word-mapping in monolingual and bilingual toddlers. Children viewed familiar and unfamiliar objects as they were labeled (e.g., “look at the car!”, “look at the dax!”). Eye-tracking measured recognition of the labeled referent, while functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) recorded brain activity in frontal and temporal cortical regions.
Together, these studies will illustrate how early word learning is shaped by both bilingual experience and proficiency within each language. More focal left-hemisphere recruitment may support efficient learning under conditions of greater language familiarity, whereas broad bilateral and right-hemisphere recruitment may reflect the additional processing demands associated with learning in a less-proficient language. These findings highlight the importance of considering children’s experience in each language when examining the neural organization of bilingual word learning.