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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 26, 2026

Experience is Instrumental in Tuning a Link Between Language and Cognition: Evidence from 6- to 7- Month-Old Infants' Object Categorization
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

Comparison helps children form broad explanations.

Yinyuan Sean Zheng1, Dedre Gentner1

  • 1Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States.

Child Development
|May 25, 2026
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Children learn broad patterns by comparing events, especially when explaining them. This comparison helps them discover commonalities, leading to better understanding and explanations.

Keywords:
comparisondevelopmentself-explanation

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Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm
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Last Updated: May 26, 2026

Experience is Instrumental in Tuning a Link Between Language and Cognition: Evidence from 6- to 7- Month-Old Infants' Object Categorization
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

Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm
06:35

Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm

Published on: April 28, 2016

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Development
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Learning Sciences

Background:

  • Children gain understanding by explaining events, which encourages focus on general patterns.
  • Discovering how children identify these broad patterns is crucial for understanding cognitive development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of comparison in children's discovery of broad explanatory patterns.
  • To examine how self-explanation and comparison interact to facilitate children's learning.

Main Methods:

  • Three experiments were conducted with 138 children aged 4-6 years.
  • Children explained outcome patterns, with varying levels of comparison support.
  • Statistical analyses (Cohen's d) were used to assess the impact of comparison.

Main Results:

  • Children were more likely to identify broad explanations when comparison was facilitated.
  • The need for comparison support decreased with age.
  • A combination of comparison and self-explanation led to more effective learning.

Conclusions:

  • Comparison is a key mechanism that helps children discover broad patterns when generating explanations.
  • The interplay between comparison and self-explanation is vital for developing satisfactory explanations in children.
  • Findings suggest that fostering comparison can enhance children's ability to grasp general principles.