The segregation of items into categories by ten-month-old infants. 1985

B A Younger

2 experiments were conducted investigating infants' use of structural relations (i.e., correlated attribute values) in dividing or segregating items into categories. Rosch argued that attribute values do not occur in all possible combinations in the real world. Even though values of attributes may vary continuously across objects, some combinations are more likely to occur than others, forming breaks or discontinuities between clusters of correlated values. Within a well-controlled laboratory context, using artificial categories and a standard infant-recognition memory procedure, the present experiments demonstrated 10-month-old infants' sensitivity to structural information like that proposed by Rosch to exist in the real world, and their ability to segregate items into categories on the basis of clusters of correlated attribute values.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007223 Infant A child between 1 and 23 months of age. Infants
D008297 Male Males
D008568 Memory Complex mental function having four distinct phases: (1) memorizing or learning, (2) retention, (3) recall, and (4) recognition. Clinically, it is usually subdivided into immediate, recent, and remote memory.
D010364 Pattern Recognition, Visual Mental process to visually perceive a critical number of facts (the pattern), such as characters, shapes, displays, or designs. Recognition, Visual Pattern,Visual Pattern Recognition
D011939 Mental Recall The process whereby a representation of past experience is elicited. Recall, Mental
D004193 Discrimination Learning Learning that is manifested in the ability to respond differentially to various stimuli. Discriminative Learning,Discrimination Learnings,Discriminative Learnings,Learning, Discrimination,Learning, Discriminative
D005260 Female Females
D005556 Form Perception The sensory discrimination of a pattern, shape, or outline. Contour Perception,Contour Perceptions,Form Perceptions,Perception, Contour,Perception, Form,Perceptions, Contour,Perceptions, Form
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D001288 Attention Focusing on certain aspects of current experience to the exclusion of others. It is the act of heeding or taking notice or concentrating. Focus of Attention,Selective Attention,Social Attention,Attention Focus,Attention, Selective,Attention, Social,Selective Attentions

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