Report Number: CS-TR-73-369
Institution: Stanford University, Department of Computer Science
Title: The development of conceptual structures in children.
Author: Schank, Roger C.
Date: May 1973
Abstract: Previous papers by the author have hypothesized that it is possible to represent the meaning of natural language sentences using a framework which has only fourteen primitive ACTs. This paper addresses the problem of when and how these ACTs might be learned by children. The speech of a child of age 2 is examined for possible knowledge of the primitive ACTs as well as the conceptual relations underlying language. It is shown that there is evidence that the conceptual structures underlying language are probably complete by age 2. Next a child is studied from birth to age 1. The emergence of the primitive ACTs and the conceptual relations is traced. The hypothesis is made that the structures that underlie and are necessary for language are present by age 1.
http://i.stanford.edu/pub/cstr/reports/cs/tr/73/369/CS-TR-73-369.pdf