Ambiguity of reference and listeners' reaction in a naturalistic setting

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Abstract
The present study asked three questions. To what extent does the pre-school child use pronouns ambiguously in a naturalistic situation? Under what circumstances is such referential ambiguity likely to arise? How does the pre-school listener respond to such ambiguity? Sixteen pre-schoolers, four pairs of boys and four pairs of girls, were videotaped in a play situation. The results indicate that ambiguity of reference frequently arises, especially when disambiguation can be achieved only by verbal rather than non-verbal information. The presence of such ambiguity did not, however, influence the social responsiveness of the listener.

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