Social learning of artefact function in 12- and 15-month-olds.
Saved in:
| Title: | Social learning of artefact function in 12- and 15-month-olds. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Elsner, Birgit1 (AUTHOR) elsner@psychologie.uni-heidelberg.de, Pauen, Sabina1 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | European Journal of Developmental Psychology. Mar2007, Vol. 4 Issue 1, p80-99. 20p. 1 Chart, 3 Graphs. |
| Subject Terms: | *Imitative behavior, *Infant psychology, *Social learning, Social psychology, Infant development, Social skills |
| Abstract: | This study investigates whether infants transfer observed information about the functional use of novel artefacts to their own actions, and whether they generalize this knowledge to perceptually different objects that share the same functional feature. In two experiments, 12- and 15-month-olds performed an imitation task followed by a generalization task. In the imitation task, the same target act was demonstrated with two simple monochrome objects fitted with a specific part, producing a sound effect with one object, but no salient effects with the other object. Infants in both age groups increased their actions on the objects after the demonstration, but only the 15-month-olds preferred to use the “effective” object. This suggests that younger infants learned knowledge about the general function of the objects, whereas older infants learned knowledge about the objects' specific function. In the following generalization task, infants watched no demonstration, but were presented with complex multicoloured objects fitted with the same functional part as the demonstration objects. Both age groups generalized the acquired functional knowledge to the novel objects. Yet, the specificity of the functional information acquired in social learning situations changed between 12 and 15 months of age, which may not only affect the learning of tool use, but also the categorization of artefacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of European Journal of Developmental Psychology is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Education Research Complete |
|
Full text is not displayed to guests.
Login for full access.
|
|
| Abstract: | This study investigates whether infants transfer observed information about the functional use of novel artefacts to their own actions, and whether they generalize this knowledge to perceptually different objects that share the same functional feature. In two experiments, 12- and 15-month-olds performed an imitation task followed by a generalization task. In the imitation task, the same target act was demonstrated with two simple monochrome objects fitted with a specific part, producing a sound effect with one object, but no salient effects with the other object. Infants in both age groups increased their actions on the objects after the demonstration, but only the 15-month-olds preferred to use the “effective” object. This suggests that younger infants learned knowledge about the general function of the objects, whereas older infants learned knowledge about the objects' specific function. In the following generalization task, infants watched no demonstration, but were presented with complex multicoloured objects fitted with the same functional part as the demonstration objects. Both age groups generalized the acquired functional knowledge to the novel objects. Yet, the specificity of the functional information acquired in social learning situations changed between 12 and 15 months of age, which may not only affect the learning of tool use, but also the categorization of artefacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 17405629 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/17405620601051220 |
