What Develops in Infants' Spatial Categorization? Korean Infants' Categorization of Containment and Tight‐Fit Relations. Issue 4 (3rd August 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Casasola, Marianella; Ahn, Yeojin A.
• Is Part Of: Child development. Volume 89:Issue 4(2018)
• Page Start: e382
• Page End: e396
• Publication Date: 2017-08-03
• Subjects: Child development -- Periodicals; Child psychology -- Periodicals; Child Development -- Periodicals; Child Development; Pediatrics -- Periodicals; Pedicatrics; 305.231
• DOI: 10.1111/cdev.12903
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0009-3920

Abstract

Abstract : Korean‐learning infants' categorization of two spatial categories, one consistent and one inconsistent with the Korean semantic category of "kkita, " was examined. Infants of 10 months ( n = 32) and 18 months ( n = 49) were tested on their categorization of containment or tight fit spatial relations. At 10 months, infants only formed a category of containment, but at 18 months, their categorization of tight fit was significantly stronger than containment. The results suggest that Korean infants benefit from their language environment in forming a category of tight fit when the exemplars are perceptually diverse. In particular, infants' language environment may bolster their ability to generalize across diverse exemplars to form abstract categorical representations of spatial relations.