Robustness of the rule-learning effect in 7-month-old infants: A close, multicenter replication of Marcus et al. (1999)

We conducted a close replication of the seminal work by Marcus and colleagues from 1999, which showed that after a brief auditory exposure phase, 7-month-old infants were able to learn and generalize a rule to novel syllables not previously present in the exposure phase. This work became the foundation for the theoretical framework by which we assume that infants are able to learn abstract representations and generalize linguistic rules. While some extensions on the original work have shown evidence of rule learning, the outcomes are mixed, and an exact replication of Marcus et al.'s study has thus far not been reported. A recent meta-analysis by Rabagliati and colleagues brings to light that the rule-learning effect depends on stimulus type (e.g., meaningfulness, speech vs. nonspeech) and is not as robust as often assumed. In light of the theoretical importance of the issue at stake, it is appropriate and necessary to assess the replicability and robustness of Marcus et al.'s findings. Here we have undertaken a replication across four labs with a large sample of 7-month-old infants (N = 96), using the same exposure patterns (ABA and ABB), methodology (Headturn Preference Paradigm), and original stimuli. As in the original study, we tested the hypothesis that infants are able to learn abstract “algebraic” rules and apply them to novel input. Our results did not replicate the original findings: infants showed no difference in looking time between test patterns consistent or inconsistent with the familiarization pattern they were exposed to

Data repository for "Rhythmic recursion? Human sensitivity to a Lindenmayer grammar with self-similar structure in a musical task"

Data and relevant scripts for the paper appearing in the journal Music & Science

Building Blocks of Cognition: Replicating Marcus et al. (1999)

This OSF page is part of the project "The building blocks of cognition: Core debates in infancy research," which is funded by the the Dutch Research Council (NWO, grant number 401.18.044) under a funding stream for replication studies. This page contains all relevant materials for our replication of the Marcus et al. (1999) study. For now it includes the Registered Report, which has received Stage 1 acceptance from Developmental Science, and the language questionnaires. At a later stage we will upload scripts for our experiments, data, and analysis files as well

Building Blocks of Cognition: Replicating Kovacs & Mehler (2009)

This OSF page is part of the project "The building blocks of cognition: Core debates in infancy research," which is funded by the the Dutch Research Council (NWO, grant number 401.18.044) under a funding stream for replication studies. This page contains all relevant materials for our replication of the Kovacs & Mehler (2009) study. It includes the preregistration, questionnaires, power analyses, scripts for our experiments, data, and analysis files as well