Abstract

A key question in categorization is how infants extract regularities from the exemplars they encounter. Detecting similarities and dissimilarities across items is vital in order to determine category-relevant features. Previous research found evidence that infants acquire a single category more easily with paired presentations in comparison with single presentations (Oakes & Ribar, 2005, Infancy, 7, 85; Oakes & Kovack-Lesh, 2007, Cogniție, Creier, Comportament / Cognition, Brain, Behavior, XI, 661). Here, we focus on infants' acquisition of a category contrast, that is, when they are exposed to two categories. In an eye-tracking study, we examined 10-month-old infants' ability to learn two novel visual categories when presented with one item at a time and with items in pairs. Infants were familiarized with pairs of items from the same category or with pairs of items from different categories (cross-category pairs). Using a linear model with a priori contrasts, we show that infants' learning is directly related to the opportunity for category comparison: There is no evidence of category learning in the single-item condition, improved performance when familiarized with same-category pairs, and finally robust category learning when familiarized with cross-category pairs. We conclude that comparison which involves items from different categories promotes category formation, by highlighting differences and promoting a discovery of category boundaries.

Highlights

  • Categorization represents the ability to form groups of objects, which involves understanding which items are “the same kind of thing” despite perceivable differences, and deciding which items are not the same kind, even though they may appear similar in some aspects (Mareschal & Quinn, 2001)

  • The results revealed that the mean preference was significantly different from chance only in the cross-c­ ategory pairs condition, whereas mean preference scores in the single-i­tem and the same-c­ ategory pairs conditions did not significantly deviate from chance, see Table 2

  • The analyses of looking preferences in the category formation test showed that infants’ performance improved across conditions: There was no evidence of category learning in the single-i­tem condition, improved performance when familiarized with pairs of items from the same category, and robust category learning when familiarized with cross-­category pairs

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Summary

Introduction

Categorization represents the ability to form groups of objects, which involves understanding which items are “the same kind of thing” despite perceivable differences, and deciding which items are not the same kind, even though they may appear similar in some aspects (Mareschal & Quinn, 2001). We examine the role of exemplar comparison in infants’ formation of such contrastive categories, by familiarizing 10-m­ onth-­olds with a single item at a time or with pairs of items.

Results
Conclusion

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