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Related Experiment Videos

Beyond the basics: preschool children label objects flexibly at multiple hierarchical levels.

S R Waxman1, T Hatch

  • 1Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138.

Journal of Child Language
|February 1, 1992
PubMed
Summary

Preschoolers can learn to use multiple labels for objects, not just basic ones. This study shows young children

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Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Cognitive Science
  • Linguistics

Background:

  • Preschoolers typically prefer basic-level object labels (e.g., 'dog') over subordinate (e.g., 'collie') or superordinate (e.g., 'animal') labels.
  • This preference is not absolute, and children can accept multiple labels under specific conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate preschoolers' production of multiple, hierarchically related object labels.
  • To examine the pragmatic effects of inclusion relations on children's labeling.
  • To assess the influence of morphology on subordinate-level labeling.

Main Methods:

  • An experiment involving 40 preschoolers (20 three-year-olds, 20 four-year-olds).
  • Analysis of children's production of basic, subordinate, and superordinate labels for objects.

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  • Examination of how morphological structures (e.g., 'fluffy dog') affect labeling.

    • Main Results:

    • Children most frequently used basic-level labels but also readily produced non-basic level terms.
    • Performance indicated flexibility in labeling beyond the basic level.
    • Morphology influenced the use of subordinate labels.

    Conclusions:

    • Young children's capacity for flexible, multi-level object labeling is greater than previously assumed.
    • Preschoolers can produce and potentially understand multiple hierarchical labels for a single object.
    • Findings challenge rigid views of early semantic development and categorization.