Animacy cues facilitate 10-month-olds' categorization of novel objects with similar insides

PLoS One. 2018 Nov 26;13(11):e0207800. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0207800. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

In this experiment, we examined whether sensitivity to the relevance of object insides for the categorization of animate objects is in place around 10 months of age. Using an object examining paradigm, 10-month-old infants' (N = 58) were familiarized to novel objects with varying outward appearances but shared insides in one of three groups: No cues, Eyes, and Cue control. During test trials, infants were presented with a novel in-category test object followed by an out-of-category test object. When objects were presented with animacy cues (i.e., Eyes), infants categorized the objects together. In contrast, when objects were presented without any added cues or when they were presented with a shared perceptual marker (Cue control, i.e., plastic spoons placed on top of the objects), infants showed no evidence of categorization. These results indicate that by 10 months of age, eyes signal to infants that objects share some kind of uniting commonality that may not be obvious or readily perceptually available.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Concept Formation / physiology*
  • Cues*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Male
  • Pattern Recognition, Visual

Grants and funding

This research was supported by a Discovery grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada [194530-2011;www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca] and funding from the Canada Research Chairs program [www.chairs-chaires.gc.ca], the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation [http://www.childrenshospital.ab.ca/] and the Canada Foundation for Innovation [innovation.ca] awarded to SG. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.