Journal article

Authors list: Sensoy, Ö; Culham, JC; Schwarzer, G

Publication year: 2021

Journal: Infant and Child Development

Volume number: 30

Issue number: 4

ISSN: 1522-7227

eISSN: 1522-7219

Open access status: Hybrid

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.1002/icd.2234

Publisher: Wiley

Abstract: 
We investigate when infants exhibit knowledge of the familiar size of well-known objects and whether this knowledge is affected by stimulus format, that is, whether the stimuli are presented as real objects or matched pictures. Infants (130 7- and 12-month-olds) saw everyday objects such as sippy cups and pacifiers in their familiar size and novel sizes (larger or smaller than the familiar size) placed pairwise within infants' reach. We used a preferential-looking paradigm to investigate whether infants are able to discriminate familiar from novel sizes. Although, infants of both age groups looked longer toward real objects that were smaller or larger than the familiar size, there were no looking preferences for the pictures. These results suggest that although 7- and 12-month-olds demonstrate familiar size knowledge for real objects, this understanding does not generalize to pictorial representations of those objects.HighlightsWe investigated under which conditions 7- and 12-month-olds exhibit knowledge of the familiar size of objects.By presenting real objects and matched pictures within reach, we found that infants of both age groups show familiar size knowledge, but only for the real objects.The activation of familiar size knowledge in infants seems to be dependent on stimulus format and actability.

Harvard Citation style: Sensoy, Ö., Culham, J. and Schwarzer, G. (2021) The advantage of real objects over matched pictures in infants' processing of the familiar size of objects, Infant and Child Development, 30(4), Article e2234. https://doi.org/10.1002/icd.2234

APA Citation style: Sensoy, Ö., Culham, J., & Schwarzer, G. (2021). The advantage of real objects over matched pictures in infants' processing of the familiar size of objects. Infant and Child Development. 30(4), Article e2234. https://doi.org/10.1002/icd.2234