Assessing vocabulary acquisition using a fast-mapping task in an Android application: A pilot study

Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore whether a fast mapping task embedded in an Android application (FastMApp) is a valid tool to assess referent selection abilities in Spanish-speaking children aged between 18 and 30 months. Traditional assessment tools for lexical development use static q...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Rujas, Irene, Casla Soler, Marta, Murillo Sanz, Eva, Lázaro, Miguel
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Institución:Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
Repositorio:Biblos-e Archivo. Repositorio Institucional de la UAM
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:repositorio.uam.es:10486/738240
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10486/738240
https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17549507.2024.2426700
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:application
fast mapping
lexical development
vocabulary assessment
child language
word learning
early linguistic development
Psicología
Descripción
Sumario:Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore whether a fast mapping task embedded in an Android application (FastMApp) is a valid tool to assess referent selection abilities in Spanish-speaking children aged between 18 and 30 months. Traditional assessment tools for lexical development use static quantitative methods that assign children a final score to represent their overall vocabulary level. These methods fail to provide insights into the learning process, despite their potential relevance for clinical and educational purposes. Method: Sixty Spanish-speaking children participated in this study. They completed the FastMApp (a 22-trials’ fast mapping noun task including 4- and 5-item trials, with one unknown object), and their caregivers rated their child’s vocabulary on a parent-rated vocabulary inventory measure. Result: The data show a high percentage of responses to the task, indicating that the children were actively complied with the task. The scores for known labels are significantly higher compared to unknown labels, and the scores for 4-item trials are significantly higher compared to 5-item trials. We observed a strong and significant relationship between the scores in this task and the scores on the parent-rated vocabulary inventory measure. Conclusion: The results suggest that FastMApp is suitable for assessing early vocabulary acquisition in Spanish-speaking children