ABSTRACT
Young children appear to know when a novel label for a novel object is a common noun. The present study was concerned with the properties of a named object that children assume to be true of other members of the category that is specified by such a noun. Preschoolers, second graders, and college students were shown drawings of objects and given nonsense labels for those objects. They then viewed other objects that varied from the labeled ones along 4 particular attributes and were asked to decide if those other objects should also receive the same label. Preschoolers focused mostly on single attributes in making category decisions, and their choices of attributes were evenly distributed among the 4 types. Older individuals primarily exhibited multiple attribute rules. The results are discussed in terms of developmental differences in the modes of processing that are used and in the types of knowledge that are brought to bear on the word learning situation.
Subject(s)
Child Development , Concept Formation , Discrimination Learning , Form Perception , Generalization, Stimulus , Pattern Recognition, Visual , Attention , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Male , Problem SolvingABSTRACT
This study examined motives for participating in and discontinuing sport for 106 competitive, recreational, and former youth gymnasts. Similar to previous studies on participation motives in children's sport, gymnasts cited multiple reasons for their attraction to sport with the most important being competence, fitness, and challenge for the competitive gymnasts; competence, fitness, fun and situational for the recreational gymnasts; and competence, action, challenge and fun for the former gymnasts. A factor analysis was conducted and revealed seven categories of motivational factors, similar to those found by Gill et al. (1983). No support was found for a relationship between motives for gymnastic participation and reasons for attrition. The most important reasons for leaving gymnastics were having other things to do, injuries, not liking the pressure, not having enough fun, and too time consuming.
