The Library
Beyond the shape of things : infants can be taught to generalise nouns by function
Tools
Zuniga-Montanez, Cecilia, Kita, Sotaro, Aussems, Suzanne and Krott, Andrea (2021) Beyond the shape of things : infants can be taught to generalise nouns by function. Psychological Science, 32 (7). pp. 1073-1085. doi:10.1177/0956797621993107 ISSN 0956-7976.
|
PDF
WRAP-beyond-shape-things-Kita-2021.pdf - Published Version - Requires a PDF viewer. Available under License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Download (5Mb) | Preview |
|
|
PDF
Supplemental_Material.pdf - Supplemental Material - Requires a PDF viewer. Available under License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Download (457Kb) | Preview |
|
PDF
WRAP-beyond-shape-things-Kita-2021.pdf - Accepted Version Embargoed item. Restricted access to Repository staff only - Requires a PDF viewer. Download (2863Kb) |
Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797621993107
Abstract
Two-year-olds typically extend labels of novel objects by the objects’ shape (shape bias), whereas adults do so by the objects’ function. Is this because shape is conceptually easier to comprehend than function? To test whether the conceptual complexity of function prevents infants from developing a function bias, we trained twelve 17-month-olds (function-training group) to focus on objects’ functions when labeling the objects over a period of 7 weeks. Our training was similar to previously used methods in which 17-month-olds were successfully taught to focus on the shape of objects, resulting in a precocious shape bias. We exposed another 12 infants (control group) to the same objects over 7 weeks but without labeling the items or demonstrating their functions. Only the infants in the function-training group developed a function bias. Thus, the conceptual complexity of function was not a barrier for developing a function bias, which suggests that the shape bias emerges naturally because shape is perceptually more accessible than function.
Item Type: | Journal Article | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Subjects: | B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology L Education > LB Theory and practice of education P Language and Literature > P Philology. Linguistics |
|||||||||
Divisions: | Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Science > Psychology | |||||||||
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Interpersonal communication in infants, Grammar, Comparative and general -- Noun phrase, Learning, Psychology of, Infant psychology, Language and education, Metalanguage, Early childhood education | |||||||||
Journal or Publication Title: | Psychological Science | |||||||||
Publisher: | Sage Publications Ltd. | |||||||||
ISSN: | 0956-7976 | |||||||||
Official Date: | 1 July 2021 | |||||||||
Dates: |
|
|||||||||
Volume: | 32 | |||||||||
Number: | 7 | |||||||||
Page Range: | pp. 1073-1085 | |||||||||
DOI: | 10.1177/0956797621993107 | |||||||||
Status: | Peer Reviewed | |||||||||
Publication Status: | Published | |||||||||
Re-use Statement: | Posted ahead of print. Zuniga-Montanez, Cecilia, Kita, Sotaro, Aussems, Suzanne and Krott, Andrea (2021) Beyond the shape of things : infants can be taught to generalise nouns by function. Psychological Science . doi:10.1177/0956797621993107 (In Press) Copyright © 2021 (Copyright Holder). Reprinted by permission of SAGE Publications. DOI: 10.1177/0956797621993107 users who receive access to an article through a repository are reminded that the article is protected by copyright and reuse is restricted to non-commercial and no derivative uses. | |||||||||
Access rights to Published version: | Open Access (Creative Commons) | |||||||||
Date of first compliant deposit: | 21 January 2021 | |||||||||
Date of first compliant Open Access: | 30 March 2021 | |||||||||
RIOXX Funder/Project Grant: |
|
|||||||||
Related URLs: |
Request changes or add full text files to a record
Repository staff actions (login required)
View Item |
Downloads
Downloads per month over past year