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Patterns of object–name extension in production*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 February 2009

Kathy L. Chapman  and
Carolyn B. Mervis
Kathy L. Chapman*
Affiliation:
Case Western Reserve University
Carolyn B. Mervis
Affiliation:
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
*
Communication Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
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Abstract

The evolution of young children's categories, as measured by category name production, was studied. The focus was on categories whose names initially were overextended. Four children (initially aged 1; 1 to 1; 3) were visited at home twice a week over a four- to six-month period, until they were approximately 1;7. The play sessions included eli-citations of the names of specially chosen objects. Results indicated that, as predicted, four sequences of category evolution were found, formed by the intersection of two factors: overlap vs. mutual exclusivity and first re-assignment separate vs. first re-assignment joint. As expected, most sequences involved initial overlap, and the choice of first reassignment option varied as a function of the relationship (hierarchical or non-hierarchical) between the initial child-basic category and the new category.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Child Language , Volume 16 , Issue 3 , October 1989 , pp. 561 - 571
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1989

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Footnotes

*

The research reported was part of a dissertation conducted by the first author and submitted in partial fulfilment of degree requirements at Purdue University. Appreciation is expressed to the parents and children who participated in this study. We also would like to thank Macalyne Fristoe, Kathy Johnson, Laurence Leonard, Cindy Mervis, Richard Schwartz, and an anonymous reviewer for their comments on previous versions of this paper. Carolyn Mervis's work on this project was supported in part by grants BNS81-21169 and BNS84-19036 from the National Science Foundation.

References

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