Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 29, 2026
05:35
Experience is Instrumental in Tuning a Link Between Language and Cognition: Evidence from 6- to 7- Month-Old Infants' Object Categorization
Published on: April 19, 2017
Artifacts and natural kinds: children's judgments about whether objects are owned
Karen R Neary1, Julia W Van de Vondervoort, Ori Friedman
1Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
Developmental Psychology
|September 21, 2011
Summary
Children develop ownership expectations early, distinguishing between human-made artifacts and natural objects. Three-year-olds understand artifacts are owned, while natural kinds are not, a key insight into cognitive development and property concepts.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Development
- Social Cognition
- Psychology
Background:
- Object ownership is fundamental to human behavior and social interactions.
- Understanding how individuals, particularly children, attribute ownership is crucial for social cognition research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the development of children's expectations regarding the ownership of human-made objects (artifacts) versus naturally occurring objects (natural kinds).
- To determine the age at which children differentiate ownership based on an object's origin.
Main Methods:
- Four experiments were conducted with children aged 3 to 6 years.
- Participants viewed images of familiar and unfamiliar artifacts and natural kinds, and their ownership judgments were recorded.
- In one experiment, explicit information about an object's human-made status was provided.
Main Results:
- Three-year-olds distinguished ownership for familiar artifacts and inanimate natural kinds.
- Children aged 3-6 years consistently viewed unfamiliar natural kinds as non-owned.
- Children under 6 years only endorsed unfamiliar artifacts as owned at chance rates, but this changed when explicitly told they were human-made.
- Older children (4-5 years) selected artifacts over natural kinds when judging possession, but not preference.
Conclusions:
- Children develop distinct expectations about the ownership of artifacts and natural kinds from a young age.
- Contrary to some theories, children do not initially equate natural kinds with artifacts in terms of ownership.
- Explicit information about an object's origin significantly influences children's ownership judgments.
Related Concept Videos
01:24Natural and Artificial Concepts
In psychology, concepts can be divided into two categories: natural and artificial. Natural concepts are formed through direct or indirect experiences. For example, consider the concept of snow. If you live in a place with regular snowfall, such as Essex Junction, Vermont, you know snow through direct experiences. You’ve seen it fall, touched it, shoveled it, and played in it. You recognize its texture, appearance, and even its smell. In contrast, if you live on an island like Saint Vincent in...
01:21The Nativist Approach
The nativist approach to infant cognitive development proposes that infants are born with inherent knowledge structures that allow them to interpret the world almost immediately. This perspective contrasts with earlier developmental theories, such as those proposed by Jean Piaget, which emphasized a more gradual acquisition of cognitive abilities through interaction with the environment. One key concept in this approach is object permanence — the understanding that objects continue to exist...
02:30Naturalistic Observations
If you want to understand how behavior occurs, one of the best ways to gain information is to simply observe the behavior in its natural context. However, people might change their behavior in unexpected ways if they know they are being observed. How do researchers obtain accurate information when people tend to hide their natural behavior? As an example, imagine that your professor asks everyone in your class to raise their hand if they always wash their hands after using the restroom. Chances...
01:14Piaget's Stage 2 of Cognitive Development
The preoperational stage, the second of Jean Piaget's four stages of cognitive development, spans approximately ages 2 to 7 and is characterized by the emergence of symbolic thinking. During this stage, children use language, images, and symbols to represent objects and concepts, enabling them to engage in imaginative and pretend play. This symbolic thinking supports children's ability to perform make-believe actions, such as imagining a broom as a horse or their hand as a phone, blending...
01:17Piaget's Stage 3 of Cognitive Development
During Piaget's concrete operational stage, from ages 7 to 11, children exhibit a marked increase in logical thinking skills, specifically in relation to tangible, real-world events. This stage is characterized by the development of several essential cognitive concepts, including conservation, reversibility, and classification, all of which support the child's evolving capacity for structured thought.
Conservation and Constancy of Quantity
A significant cognitive milestone in the concrete...
Conservation and Constancy of Quantity
A significant cognitive milestone in the concrete...
01:14Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development
The sensorimotor stage, the initial phase of Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development, spans the first two years of a child's life. During this period, infants actively engage with their surroundings, building cognitive awareness through direct interaction with the world. This interaction is primarily based on sensory perception and motor actions, allowing infants to gradually understand basic physical properties and predict how objects interact within their environment.
Exploration...
Exploration...