Development of subordinate-level categorization in 3- to 7-month-old infants.
Visual preference procedures were used to investigate development of perceptually based subordinate-level categorization in 3- to 7-month-old infants. Experiments 1 and 2 demonstrated that 3- to 4-month-olds did not form category representations for photographic exemplars of subordinate-level classes of cats and dogs (i.e., Siamese vs. Tabby, Beagle vs. Saint Bernard). Experiments 3 though 5 showed that 6- and 7-month-olds formed a category representation for Tabby that excluded Siamese and a category representation for Saint Bernard that excluded Beagle, but they did not form a category representation for Siamese that excluded Tabby or a category representation for Beagle that excluded Saint Bernard. The findings are consistent with a differentiation-driven view of early perceptual category development from global to basic to subordinate levels.
Quinn
Paul C
PC
Department of Psychology, University of Delaware, Newark, 19716, USA. pquinn@udel.edu
D002755:Choice Behavior; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D018730:Infant Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D014796:Visual Perception