Changes in Beliefs About Category Homogeneity and Variability Across Childhood

• Autores: Amanda C. Brandone
• Localización: Child development, ISSN 0009-3920, Vol. 88, Nº. 3, 2017, págs. 846-866
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Effective category-based induction requires understanding that categories include both fundamental similarities between members and important variation. This article explores 4- to 11-year-olds’ (n = 207) and adults’ (n = 49) intuitions about this balance between within-category homogeneity and variability using a novel induction task in which participants predict the distribution of a property among members of a novel category. Across childhood, children learned to recognize variability within categories—showing increasing sensitivity to the role of property type and domain in constraining inferences. Children below the age of 6 showed evidence for a domain-general assumption that categories are homogeneous—generalizing properties broadly to 100% of category members. These studies support important developmental changes in category representations that may influence category-based induction.