Backward semantic inhibition in toddlers

Attention-switching is a crucial ability required in our everyday life, from toddlerhood to adulthood. In adults, shifting attention from one word (e.g., dog) to another (e.g., sea) results in backward semantic inhibition, i.e., the inhibition of the initial word (dog). This study examines whether attention-switching is accompanied by backward semantic inhibition in toddlers using the preferential looking paradigm. The findings demonstrate that a backward inhibitory mechanism operates during attention-switching in toddlers: 24-month-olds can re-focus their attention to a new item by selectively inhibiting attention to the old item. The consequence of backward inhibition is that subsequent attention to items semantically-related to the old item is impaired. Theoretical implications of the underlying mechanism of backward semantic inhibition and the development of lexical-semantic inhibition in early childhood are discussed