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Updated: Mar 7, 2026

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
Comment on "Ducklings imprint on the relational concept of 'same or different'"
Jan Langbein1, Birger Puppe2,3
1Institute of Behavioural Physiology, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology, D-18196 Dummerstorf, Germany. langbein@fbn-dummerstorf.de.
Abstract:
Martinho and Kacelnik (Reports, 15 July 2016, p. 286) reported that newly hatched ducklings imprinted on relational concepts. We argue that reanalyzing the data at the individual level shows that this conclusion cannot be applied for all sets of stimuli presented and that the ability to grasp relational concepts is limited to the stimulus category that is most beneficial for survival.
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