Abstract
Children's ability to recognize object shape is foundational for successful early word learning. However, the prototypical shape of objects may not be easily accessible-take margarita glasses, for instance. The current study examined 304 U.S. children 17- to 42-month-old (152 females) from 2017 to 2020, asking how shape, age, and vocabulary abilities predict recognition of everyday objects. Children's ability to recognize objects increases with age and vocabulary, replicating prior work. Moreover, performance was partially moderated by object's typicality and shape features, and children's own attention to shape (shape bias) may mediate the effect, especially with prototypically shaped objects. The current study highlights how both child-specific variables and context features interact to shape language abilities, underscoring the emergent and multi-causal nature of word learning.
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