Comparison Of Static Form And Dynamic action As The Basis Of Children's Early Word Extensions

Abstract

Nonsense forms with nonsense labels were utilized in a match to sample task to observe whether children's word extensions are based on static form characteristics or on functional action characteristics. The stimuli consisted of (a) a single model object which performed an action, and (b) a selection array consisting of one object similar in form to the model, but with no demonstrated action, and another object of a very different form than the model's but which performed a similar action to that of the model's. When form and action were in competition for the basis of the children's selection response, action was the more frequently noted basis.