Borovsky et al. (2015)

lexical leverage

What was the goal for Borovsky et al. (2015)

to determine if infants utilize their current understanding of semantic categories to acquire new vocabulary in real-time

lexical leverage:

How individuals use their existing vocabulary and knowledge of word categories to more quickly and effectively learn new words

Children who know more words within a semantic category (like animals, foods, or tools) are generally

better at learning new words from that same category because their existing knowledge provides context and connections for meaning.

In this study, what does late effect mean?

It’s a later brain response showing that children are integrating a word’s meaning into context, not just recognizing it.

Children learned better from high domain knowledge categories because

familiar contexts helped them connect new words to existing knowledge, supporting faster and deeper learning.

The implication is that vocabulary growth depends on building upon what children already know

linking new words to familiar domains enhances word learning efficiency.