The animate–inanimate distinction in preschool children

Wright, Kristyn; Poulin‐Dubois, Diane; Kelley, Elizabeth

doi:10.1111/bjdp.12068

Cited by 18 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…The results obtained in the Living/Non-Living Distinction Test show that young children clearly improved and generated more correct responses when categorizing the different identities presented into living beings and inert entities. These results are consistent with other research highlighting the fact that children's understanding of the concept of being alive gradually evolves [12,13].…”

Section: Discussion Of Resultssupporting

confidence: 92%

“…However, previous research on the understanding of living things in childhood supports the idea that young children have significant limitations in classifying living things and inert entities [12,13]. In fact, young children attribute lack of vitality to some living organisms such as plants, and vitality to inert objects such as means of transport [14,15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Environmental Awareness and Its Relationship with the Concept of the Living Being: A Longitudinal Study

2018

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Abstract:There is currently a growing theoretical discussion about the foundations that underlie the development of environmental awareness and nature care in early childhood. The aim of this study is to analyze how the environmental concerns of young children emerge and evolve during early childhood and whether these concerns are connected to an understanding of the biological notion of the living being. This study is designed to address methodological limitations of previous studies through a longitudinal axis and an extensive age sample. A sample of 178 children between the ages of four and nine participated at two different testing times for a period of one year. The methodology includes the categorization of various images of living beings and inert entities in order to analyze their understanding of living organisms. Dilemmas involving environmental, moral and socio-conventional situations are presented to examine and compare how young children view transgressions against plant life. The results reveal that young children's judgments about environmental behaviors may arise before the development of an understanding of the concept of the living being. It is therefore proposed that this type of understanding does not support environmental awareness. Previous research indicates that complex biological concepts may be successfully introduced at the preschool age, provided that suitable educational interventions are designed for the initial stages of education. In this regard, there is evidence that a basic understanding of the issue of the ecological interactions among organisms may be achieved in the preschool years.

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Section: Discussion Of Resultssupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Awareness and Its Relationship with the Concept of the Living Being: A Longitudinal Study

2018

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“…A closer look at each of the experimental toys within the context of the conceptual development literature offers insight into how children may have reasoned about these toys. Although children distinguish animate from inanimate objects (e.g., Wright, Poulin‐Dubois, & Kelley, ), children still preferred joint labels and dual properties that cut across the categories of artefacts and humans for the anthropomorphic toys. This preference may not be very surprising given the prevalence and popularity of anthropomorphized characters (e.g., talking inanimate objects) in children's media, including books and movies (see Geerdts, ; Geerdts, Van de Walle, & LoBue, ) as well as the emergence of new technologies like personified robots (Severson & Carlson, ; Severson & Lemm, ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A ladybug bear can fly and climb trees: Children prefer conjunctions of labels and properties for cross‐classifiable toys

Nguyen

Girgis

Knopp

2019

Infant and Child Development

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The present studies (N = 159) investigated children's and adults' preferences for label and property conjunctions for cross‐classifiable toys. In Study 1, 4‐year‐olds, 5‐year‐olds, and adults participated in a labelling and property attribution task involving experimental toys that belong to two categories and control toys that belong to only one category. In Study 2, the same age groups were tested on a version of the task focusing on the control toys. In Study 3, 4‐ and 5‐year‐olds were tested on a modified version of the labelling and property attribution task involving the experimental and control toys. Finally, Study 4 tested a younger age group, 3‐year‐olds. Overall, the results indicated that by age 3 years, individuals prefer assigning experimental toys (but not controls) with joint labels that are a conjunction of two single category labels. By age 4 years, individuals prefer assigning experimental toys (but not controls) with dual properties that are a conjunction of two single properties. These results document the development of how different types of toys elicit preferences for conjunctions of labels that denote membership in two distinct categories and conjunctions of properties that combine features of these categories. Highlights This study examines children's preferences in labeling and attributing properties to cross-classifiable toys. Children labeled and attributed properties to toys that belonged to two categories (experimental) and one category (control). The results reveal that by 4 years, children prefer both label and property conjunctions for the experimental toys that can be cross‐classified into more than one category, but not for the control toys.

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“…Distintas investigaciones apoyan la noción de que, en el procesamiento semántico, resulta más sencillo y económico procesar conceptos del nivel básico que los del nivel superordinado (Murphy, 2002;Rogers & Patterson, 2007;Rosch, 1978;Xu & Tenenbaum, 2007). Fulkerson y Haaf (2003, así como Quinn y Eimas (1996) y Wright et al (2015), hallaron que los niños categorizan conceptos del nivel básico más fácilmente, en comparación a conceptos de niveles más inclusivos. Liu et al (2001), encontraron que las palabras que producen los niños son principalmente del nivel básico, mientras que Mervis y Rosch (1981) hallaron que niños de cinco años agrupan mejor los estímulos artificiales del nivel básico que los del nivel superordinado.…”

Section: Revisión De La Literaturaunclassified

Capacidad de denominación y categorización en una muestra de niños de Jardín de Infantes

Ordóñez

Garros

Formoso

et al. 2020

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AA partir de la postulación del modelo del prototipo, dentro de la Psicología cognitiva se ha cuestionado la capacidad de los niños para realizar tareas semánticas que impliquen distintos niveles de inclusión. Actualmente, continúa en debate si durante el desarrollo se adquieren primero los conceptos del nivel básico o los del nivel superordinado. Por otro lado, continúa el debate en torno a si en la ontogenia se adquieren primero los conceptos y categorías correspondientes al dominio de seres vivos o al de objetos inanimados. Con el objetivo de explorar el desarrollo del conocimiento léxico-semántico, se realizó la prueba del cuarto excluido, propuesta por Luria (1984), en una muestra de 30 niños de Buenos Aires de clase media-alta que asisten a una escuela privada bilingüe. En dicha prueba el participante debe denominar tarjetas a color, luego extraer el estímulo que no se vincule semánticamente al resto del juego y, por último, denominar la categoría resultante. Los resultados obtenidos son consistentes con el modelo del prototipo, en donde los conceptos del nivel básico se adquieren con anterioridad a los del nivel superordinado. Se encontró también que seres vivos puntuó por arriba en las dos tareas de denominación.

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The animate–inanimate distinction in preschool children

Cited by 18 publications

References 62 publications

Environmental Awareness and Its Relationship with the Concept of the Living Being: A Longitudinal Study

Environmental Awareness and Its Relationship with the Concept of the Living Being: A Longitudinal Study

A ladybug bear can fly and climb trees: Children prefer conjunctions of labels and properties for cross‐classifiable toys

Capacidad de denominación y categorización en una muestra de niños de Jardín de Infantes

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