title: 3-Year-Old Children Selectively Generalize Object Functions Following a Demonstration from a Linguistic In-group Member: Evidence from the Phenomenon of Scale Error.
abstract: The present study investigated 3-year-old children's learning processes about object functions. We built on children's tendency to commit scale errors with tools to explore whether they would selectively endorse object functions from a linguistic in-group over an out-group model. Participants (n = 37) were presented with different object sets, and a model speaking either in their native or a foreign language demonstrated how to use the presented tools. In the test phase, children received the object sets with two modifications: the original tool was replaced by one that was too big to achieve the goal but was otherwise identical, and another tool was added to the set that looked different but was appropriately scaled for goal attainment. Children in the Native language condition were significantly more likely to commit scale errors - that is, choose the over-sized tool - than children in the Foreign language condition (48 vs. 30%). We propose that these results provide insight into the characteristics of human-specific learning processes by showing that children are more likely to generalize object functions to a category of artifacts following a demonstration from an in-group member.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University, BudapestHungary; Psychobiology Research Group, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Acadamy of Sciences, BudapestHungary.
authors.forename: Katalin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Oláh
authors.affiliation: Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University, BudapestHungary; Department of Cognitive Science, Central European University, BudapestHungary.
authors.forename: Fruzsina
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Elekes
authors.affiliation: Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest Hungary.
authors.forename: Réka
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pető
authors.affiliation: Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest Hungary.
authors.forename: Krisztina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Peres
authors.affiliation: Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest Hungary.
authors.forename: Ildikó
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Király
keywords: language; learning; object function; scale error; social category