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. 2010 May-Jun;81(3):884-97.
doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01440.x.

Experience-based and on-line categorization of objects in early infancy

Marc H Bornstein  1 , Clay Mash
Affiliations

Experience-based and on-line categorization of objects in early infancy

Marc H Bornstein et al. Child Dev. 2010 May-Jun.

Abstract

What processes do infants employ in categorizing? Infants might categorize on line as they encounter category-related entities; alternatively, infants might depend on prior experience with entities in formulating categories. These alternatives were tested in forty-four 5-month-olds. Infants who were familiarized in the laboratory with a category of never-before-seen objects subsequently treated novel objects of the same category as familiar-they categorized on line-just as did infants who were exposed to objects from the same category at home for 2 months leading to their laboratory assessment of object categorization. Infants with home experience also recognized novel category objects as familiar from the outset-that is, prior experience with category exemplars was brought to bear in laboratory tasks.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Examples of the two categories A and B.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mean examination time (in s ± 1 SEM) at the start of familiarization, at the end of familiarization, for the test of the familiar-category novel exemplar, and for the test of the novel-category novel exemplar. (A) Home Experience condition. (B) No Home Experience condition.
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