Development of the Composition of Children's Categories.

Autor/inn/en	Anziano, Michael C.; Keenan, Verne
Titel	Development of the Composition of Children's Categories.
Quelle	(1985), (33 Seiten)Verfügbarkeit
Beigaben	Tabellen
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; Monographie
Schlagwörter	Tagungsbericht; Age Differences; Classification; Cognitive Development; Concept Formation; Elementary Education; Elementary School Students; Grade 1; Grade 3; Grade 5; Perception; Visual Stimuli + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Age; Difference; Age difference; Altersunterschied; Classification system; Klassifikation; Klassifikationssystem; Kognitive Entwicklung; Concept learning; Begriffsbildung; Elementarunterricht; School year 01; 1. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 01; School year 03; 3. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 03; School year 05; 5. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 05; Wahrnehmung
Abstract	Two experiments with 167 first-, third-, and fifth-grade children revealed age-related changes in the composition of natural categories. Categorization was investigated via perceptual similarities of objects and conceptual similarities of superordinate classes. The free-classification paradigm (Garner, 1974) was adapted to natural categories, extending present work on categorization and assessing typicality effects in a complex context. Results indicated that first-graders sorted triads by perceptual similarities among object features; fifth-graders tended to classify by real world superordinate similarity; third-graders mixed both types. All children who received a brief demonstration of potential similarity relations categorized more by conceptual criteria than by simple similarity of features. Significant main effects were found for the variables of grade, instruction, and typicality. It is concluded that the abstract category structure is within the repertoire of younger children, but perceptual similarity may be the compelling basis of early categorization. (Author/RH)
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2004/1/01