Cross-classification and category representation in children's concepts.
Items commonly belong to many categories. Cross-classification is the classification of a single item into more than one category. This research explored 2- to 6-year-old children's use of 2 different category systems for cross-classification: script (e.g., school-time items, birthday party items) and taxonomic (e.g., animals, clothes). The results of Experiments 1 and 2 show that by a young age, children are able to cross-classify items into both category systems. Experiment 3 found that children mentally represent cross-classified items as simultaneously belonging to both taxonomic and script categories. Experiment 4 found that children often, but do not always, spontaneously activate taxonomic and script cross-classifications. Overall, the results demonstrate that from an early age children form and use both taxonomic and script categories for cross-classification.
Nguyen
Simone P
SP
Department of Psychology, Univerity of North Carolina, Wilmington, NC 28403-5612, USA. nguyens@uncw.edu
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001245:Association Learning; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003210:Concept Formation; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007804:Language Development; D008297:Male; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D002666:Psychology, Child; D012016:Reference Values; D014825:Vocabulary