Infants' Developing Appreciation of Similarities Between Model Objects and Their Real-World Referents

To purchase or authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2006.00967.x Byline: Barbara A. Younger (1), Kathy E. Johnson (2) Abstract: Previous research suggests that model competence does not emerge until relatively late in infancy (20-26 months). Development was systematically analyzed within 3 key areas-count noun learning, dual representation, and categorization-hypothesized to support the emergence of model competence in the second year. In an object-handling preferential looking task, 21- to 26-month-olds matched model objects to referents only when count noun knowledge was high. When dual representation demands were reduced through the use of pictures in place of model objects, 20-month-olds with low count noun vocabularies succeeded in relating symbols to referents. Finally, change in infants' construal of a model object as a member of a category was documented between 14 and 20 months of age. Author Affiliation: (1)Purdue University (2)Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis Article note: Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Barbara A. Younger, Purdue University, Department of Psychological Sciences, 703 Third Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2081. Electronic mail may be sent to youngerr@purdue.edu.