title: What do two-year-olds know about the sizes of things?
abstract: Knowledge about the sizes of things is an integral part of object concepts. In 5 experiments, we examined 2-, 3-, 4-year-olds' and adults' internalized representations of the sizes of buttons, plates, and shoes. We found that 3- and 4-year-olds had accurate knowledge of the typical sizes of buttons and plates. 2-year-olds' knowledge of plate and button sizes was more fragile; however, they demonstrated accurate internal representations of the sizes of shoes. The studies provide new empirical evidence about the young child's knowledge of the sizes of 3 everyday objects. The findings also suggest that the size of an object may be more accurately represented if its size is highly relevant for the object's intended function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Iowa, Iowa City 52242.
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Sera
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Troyer
authors.forename: L B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003210:Concept Formation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012858:Size Perception