ERIC Number: EJ1386879
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023-Jul
Pages: 35
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0364-0213
EISSN: EISSN-1551-6709
Introducing Meta-Analysis in the Evaluation of Computational Models of Infant Language Development
Cruz Blandón, María Andrea; Cristia, Alejandrina; Räsänen, Okko
Cognitive Science, v47 n7 e13307 Jul 2023
Computational models of child language development can help us understand the cognitive underpinnings of the language learning process, which occurs along several linguistic levels at once (e.g., prosodic and phonological). However, in light of the replication crisis, modelers face the challenge of selecting representative and consolidated infant data. Thus, it is desirable to have evaluation methodologies that could account for robust empirical reference data, across multiple infant capabilities. Moreover, there is a need for practices that can compare developmental trajectories of infants to those of models as a function of language experience and development. The present study aims to take concrete steps to address these needs by introducing the concept of comparing models with large-scale cumulative empirical data from infants, as quantified by meta-analyses conducted across a large number of individual behavioral studies. We formalize the connection between measurable model and human behavior, and then present a conceptual framework for meta-analytic evaluation of computational models. We exemplify the meta-analytic model evaluation approach with two modeling experiments on infant-directed speech preference and native/non-native vowel discrimination.
Descriptors: Meta Analysis, Infants, Language Acquisition, Computational Linguistics, Learning Processes, Intonation, Suprasegmentals, Phonology, Comparative Analysis, Infant Behavior, Models, Guidelines, Vowels, Speech Communication, Preferences, Language Variation, Native Language, Second Language Learning
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2191/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A