Previous work demonstrated that 9-month-olds who were familiarized with 3-syllable strings consistent with both a broader (AAB or ABA) and narrower (AA"di" or A"di"A) generalization made only the latter. Because the narrower generalization is a subset of the broader one, any example that is consistent with the broader generalization but not the…

In two experiments, an adult presented 2-year-olds with an unfamiliar solid object, either rigid or flexible, and performed an action that emphasized the object's shape or material. Children were then asked to choose an object that matched the one shown. As hypothesized, the adult's action information alone directed children to attend to relevant…