Development of the Shape Bias During the Second Year

Abstract

ABSTRACT. The shape bias is an attentional preference children show for the shape of an object over other aspects of the object in a word-learning context. This bias, which aids in establishing a word-object pairing, was investigated in 12-, 18-, and 24-month-old children (n = 90) across noun, adjective, and no-label conditions. The present research presents evidence of development across this time span; there was a transition from a label reducing the chance of shape extensions to indiscriminate shape extensions to a label increasing the chance of shape extensions. This research supports the notion that children are focusing their extensions more toward shape during the course of development thereby developing a more mature and more specialized shape bias.

Keywords:

• label extension
• nouns
• adjectives
• shape bias
• word learning

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Julie M. Hupp

Julie M. Hupp is an associate professor of developmental psychology at the Newark campus of The Ohio State University. Her research interests are in the cognitive development of preschoolers, including how the typical young child begins to understand and use different aspects of language.