Examining the effect of age and vocabulary on perceptual and conceptual categorization tasks

• In Event: Poster Session 12
  In Poster Session: PS 12 Topic - Cognitive Processes

Abstract

Introduction-
Object categorization in early childhood language development includes both perceptual and conceptual processes. As a child gets older, it is suggested that they move from categorizing words based on the perceptual similarities and focus more on conceptual ideas. Prior work has shown that until the age of 5, perceptual connections are more important to the children as opposed to conceptual similarities (Fisher, 2011). However, there is insufficient data on exactly when this cognitive switch occurs, and examining the role of variables such as vocabulary in this shift. We hypothesize that this shift begins to occur earlier, between 17 and 37 months when children’s vocabulary is growing . Second, we examine how specific vocabulary knowledge plays a role in conceptualizing and categorizing items.

Methods-
126 children between the ages of 17 and 37 months were recruited to do an array of language learning tasks. Within these trials, one of the tasks examined children’s ability to generalize an exemplar to other items that matched either perceptually or conceptually (see Figure 1). The experimenter held up the standard exemplar image and said “This is mine, can you get yours?” and children were asked to select either the perceptual match or the conceptual match. To collect the demographic and vocabulary data, a questionnaire asking the child’s age and known vocabulary was given to the participants’ parents or legal guardians. The MacArthur-Bates CDI Words and Sentences (Fenson et al., 1994) was used to measure productive vocabulary.

Results-
Data has been collected and coded for all 126 participants. Analyses are in progress, with an anticipated analysis on age to be complete by November 2020. Vocabulary analysis is anticipated to undergo data cleaning and be completed by January 2021. For both aims, generalized linear mixed models assessing choices to conceptual matches will be run. Age and vocabulary will respectively be included as fixed effects and subject as a random effect.

Discussion-
Learning the specific cognitive processes underlying word learning and categorization has massive implications when it comes to the field of language development. Identifying when and how this switch between perceptual and conceptual categorization begins will make significant impacts on helping kids learn words, and advance the field of language as a whole. When looking at a novel object, perceptual and conceptual processes are both important, but finding a balance between the two can be a challenge for young children. This work further examines how to facilitate this balance such that children can efficiently and accurately generalize words and objects. Knowing how and when this categorization works will help parents, teachers and researchers design a curriculum to help those children learn words more accurately and at a faster rate.

Authors

• Jayla Gabrielle Melvin, Oklahoma State University - Stillwater
  Presenting Author

• Sarah C Kucker, Southern Methodist University
  Non-Presenting Author