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The effects of type of instruction, animacy cues, and dimensionality of objects on the shape bias in 3-to 6-year-old children
Journal article   Peer reviewed

The effects of type of instruction, animacy cues, and dimensionality of objects on the shape bias in 3-to 6-year-old children

Denise Davidson, Vanessa R. Rainey, Sandra B. Vanegas and Elizabeth Hilvert
Infant and child development, Vol.27(1), e2044
01/01/2018
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/icd.2044
Web of Science ID: WOS:000424358700006

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Abstract

Robust evidence exists for the shape bias, or children's tendency to extend novel names and categorize objects more readily on the basis of shape than on other object features. However, issues remain about the conditions that affect the shape bias and its importance as a linguistic device. In this research, we examined how type of instruction (common noun naming, proper noun naming, same kind, and goes with), animacy of objects (animate, inanimate), and dimensionality of objects (two-dimensional, three-dimensional) affect the shape bias in 3- to 6-year-old children. Overall, all children showed strong use of the shape bias with categorization (same kind, goes with) instructions, the former in line with the shape-as-cue theory. Additionally, the shape bias was quite robust in the inanimate condition, regardless of type of instruction or dimensionality of objects. However, in the animate condition, a proper noun naming instruction coupled with an animate object cue reduced the shape bias across both two-and three-dimensional objects. Implications of these findings are presented.

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