Journal
CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Volume 83, Issue 2, Pages 423-433Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2011.01708.x
Keywords
-
Categories
Funding
- NICHD NIH HHS [HD-36043, R01 HD036043, R56 HD036043] Funding Source: Medline
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Generic statements (e.g., Lions have manes) make claims about kinds (e.g., lions as a category) and, for adults, are distinct from quantificational statements (e.g., Most lions have manes), which make claims about how many individuals have a given property. This article examined whether young children also understand that generics do not depend purely on quantitative information. Five-year-olds (n = 36) evaluated pairs of questions expressing properties that were matched in prevalence but varied in whether adults accept them as generically true (e.g., Do lions have manes? [true] vs. Are lions boys? [false]). Results demonstrated that children evaluate generics based on more than just quantitative information. Data suggest that even young children recognize that generics make claims about kinds.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available