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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 16, 2026

Exploring Infant Sensitivity to Visual Language using Eye Tracking and the Preferential Looking Paradigm

Exploring Infant Sensitivity to Visual Language using Eye Tracking and the Preferential Looking Paradigm

Published on: May 15, 2019

A developmental difference in shape processing and word-shape associations between 4 and 6.5 year olds.

Bart Ons¹, Johan Wagemans

¹Laboratory of Experimental Psychology, University of Leuven (K U Leuven), Tiensestraat 102, box 3711, 3000 Leuven, Belgium;

|November 13, 2012

Summary

Older children better distinguish shapes than younger children, with categorization experience influencing abstract shape processing. This suggests age-related differences in shape perception and memory for new word-shape associations.

Keywords:

categorization generalization naming, development plasticity shape perception

More Related Videos

Portable Intermodal Preferential Looking (IPL): Investigating Language Comprehension in Typically Developing Toddlers and Young Children with Autism

Portable Intermodal Preferential Looking (IPL): Investigating Language Comprehension in Typically Developing Toddlers and Young Children with Autism

Published on: December 14, 2012

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 16, 2026

Exploring Infant Sensitivity to Visual Language using Eye Tracking and the Preferential Looking Paradigm

Exploring Infant Sensitivity to Visual Language using Eye Tracking and the Preferential Looking Paradigm

Published on: May 15, 2019

Portable Intermodal Preferential Looking (IPL): Investigating Language Comprehension in Typically Developing Toddlers and Young Children with Autism

Portable Intermodal Preferential Looking (IPL): Investigating Language Comprehension in Typically Developing Toddlers and Young Children with Autism

Published on: December 14, 2012

Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Developmental Psychology
Visual Perception

Background:

Children's ability to distinguish shapes develops with age.
Categorization experience is thought to influence abstract shape processing.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how age and categorization experience affect shape perception in children.
To examine the relationship between shape distinctions and categorization in young children.
To assess children's memory for newly learned shape-word associations.

Main Methods:

Children of different ages (4 and 6.5 years) were tasked with distinguishing individual shapes based on contours.
Error patterns were analyzed for qualitative effects of shape differences typically associated with categories.
Children also participated in tasks testing acquired name-shape associations.

Main Results:

Older children demonstrated superior performance in distinguishing shapes compared to younger children.
Shape differences, even for unfamiliar shapes, influenced error patterns, suggesting an effect of categorization experience.
The younger age group showed better recall of word-shape associations.

Conclusions:

Categorization experience directly influences abstract shape processing in children.
Age-related differences in shape perception are evident, independent of specific category feature retrieval.
While older children excel at shape discrimination, younger children exhibit stronger associative memory for new word-shape pairs.