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Infants learn a rule predicated on the relation same but fail to simultaneously learn a rule predicated on the
Jean-Rémy Hochmann1, Susan Carey2, Jacques Mehler3
1CNRS - Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod - UMR5304, 67 Boulevard Pinel, 69675 Bron, France.
Cognition
|April 11, 2018
Summary
Infants can learn abstract rules based on the concept of "same." However, they do not appear to grasp the concept of "different" in their first year of life.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Development
- Developmental Psychology
- Infant Cognition
Background:
- Understanding abstract relations like 'same' and 'different' is crucial for cognitive development.
- Previous research has explored infant rule-learning abilities in various domains.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether infants can learn rules based on the abstract relations 'same' and 'different' (not same).
- To determine if infants can generalize these learned rules.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments utilized an anticipatory looking paradigm with 7-month-olds and 12-month-olds.
- Infants were presented with sequences of colored geometrical shapes, where the relation between shapes predicted a puppet's location.
Main Results:
- Both age groups successfully learned and generalized rules based on the 'same' relation.
- Neither 7-month-olds nor 12-month-olds learned or generalized rules based on the 'different' relation.
- No significant effects of age, modality, or rule complexity were observed when compared to prior speech-domain studies.
Conclusions:
- Infants in their first year of life possess a representation of the abstract relation 'same'.
- This 'same' relation serves as a foundational element for rule acquisition in infants.
- Current evidence does not support the notion that infants represent the abstract relation 'different' within this developmental period.
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