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Updated: Aug 12, 2026
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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
Infants' expectations about object label reference
S A Graham1, R K Baker, D Poulin-Dubois
1Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, AB. grahams@acs.ucalgary.ca
Summary
Infants learning words understand that new labels refer to basic-level categories, not broader ones. This early word learning shows sensitivity to the word-category linkage in young children.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Cognitive Science
- Linguistics
Background:
- Infants' early word learning is crucial for cognitive development.
- Understanding how infants link novel words to object categories is a key research question.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if infants in the early stages of lexical development are sensitive to the word-category linkage.
- To determine if infants assume novel words label basic-level categories.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the preferential looking paradigm with 16-to 19-month-old infants.
- Conducted two experiments involving novel word labeling and category matching tasks.
- Compared infant looking times between "Novel Label" and "No Label" conditions.
Main Results:
- Infants in the "Novel Label" condition looked significantly longer at basic-level matches compared to the "No Label" condition.
- This effect was consistent across both experiments, regardless of whether superordinate categories were also presented.
Conclusions:
- Findings suggest infants initially assume novel words label basic-level categories.
- Infants demonstrate an early understanding of the word-category linkage during lexical development.
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