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Wiley, Child Development, 1(84), p. 331-345, 2012

DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2012.01843.x

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Infant Categorization of Path Relations During Dynamic Events

Journal article published in 2012 by Shannon M. Pruden, Sarah Roseberry, Tilbe Goksun ORCID, Tilbe Göksun, Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Roberta M. Golinkoff
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This paper is available in a repository.

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Abstract

Fundamental to amassing a lexicon of relational terms (i.e., verbs, prepositions) is the ability to abstract and categorize spatial relations such as a figure (e.g., boy) moving along a path (e.g., around the barn). Three studies examine how infants learn to categorize path over changes in manner, or how an action is performed (e.g., running versus crawling). Experiment 1 (n=60) finds that 10- to 12-month-old English-learning infants categorize a figure’s path. In Experiment 2 (n=27) categorization is disrupted when the ground object is removed, suggesting the relationship between figure and ground defines the path. Experiment 3 (n=24) shows that language may be a mechanism guiding category formation. These studies suggest that English-learning infants can categorize path, a component lexicalized in the world’s languages.