We respond to the commentary of Franklin, Wright, and Davies ("Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 102", 239-245 [2009]) by returning to the simple contrast between nature and nurture. We find no evidence from the toddler data that makes us revise our ideas that color categories are learned and never innate. (Contains 1 figure.)

Four experiments utilizing the familiarization-novelty preference procedure examined whether 3- and 4-month-olds could form categorical representations for cats versus dogs from the perceptual information available in silhouettes. Findings indicated that general shape or external contour information centered about the head was sufficient for…

Examined whether a holistic magnitude relation governs children's object comparisons. Objects varying on two dimensions of magnitude, size, and saturation were classified by three-, four-, and five-year-olds. Results indicated that younger children were sensitive to global magnitude as well as to overall similarity. (Author/BE)

Researched the possibility that four- to six-year-old children are competent and systematic classifiers, at least making classifications by overall similarity. In three experiments, young children classified various sets of multidimensional stimuli that could be organized into catagories by overall similarity or by diminsional attributes. Children…

Six experiments were reported which examine the young child's ability to compare included and nonincluded sets. Subjects were children from nursery and primary schools in Edinburgh. (Author/MP)

Reinterprets Jeannie R. Aschkenasy and Richard D. Odom's findings (Journal of Experimental Child Psychology; v34 n3 Dec 1982) on perceptual and cognitive development. The increasing dimensionalization of stimulus relations rather than the increasing detectability or influence of stimulus differences is argued. (BJD)

Two studies explored the hypothesis that young children perceive integrally some stimuli that older children perceive separably. In both experiments, kindergarten, second- and fifth-grade children were required to classify sets of stimuli that varied in size and brightness. (SB)

In four experiments, younger children and adults showed greater perceptual sensitivity and more extensive conceptual labeling for difference relations than for identity relations. Younger and older children demonstrated consistent dimensional selectivity in tasks involving free classification and the estimation of differences. (Author/BG)

Describes two studies that demonstrate young children's perception of color materials differs from that of adults in two ways: (1) the stimulus dimensions of hue, chroma, and value appear to result in somewhat more separable perception for young children than for adults, and (2) the perceived similarities the color materials are not the same for…

Three experiments examined the exclusivity of perpetually defined categorical representations for animal categories in infants. Results indicated that infants have the capacity for making distinctions among high similar natural kinds but that such find distinctions cannot be made without appropriate exemplars. (SW)

Investigates the effects of predisposed and distinctiveness-based salience on children's classifications in 96 preschoolers and fifth graders given a classification task designed to reflect a developmental shift from integral to separable perception. (Author/MP)

Investigated 7-year-olds', 9-year-olds', and adults' ability to classify children's and adults' faces by sex using only biological based internal facial structure. Found that participants categorized adult faces by sex at accuracy levels varying from just above chance (7-year-olds) to nearly perfect (adults). All groups were less accurate for…

The relation between perceptual organization and categorization processes in 3- and 4-month-olds was explored. The question was whether an invariant part abstracted during category learning could interfere with Gestalt organizational processes. A 2003 study by Quinn and Schyns had reported that an initial category familiarization experience in…

Tested 32 4-year-olds and 32 6-year-olds for free and cued recall following either play-and-remember or sort-and-remember instructions and assessed them for their metamemory of the efficacy of conceptual and perceptual sorting strategies. Younger children recalled more items under sort-and-remember, whereas no recall differences were found for the…

Two experiments explored the nature of perceptual development in 5- and 10-year olds and adults. The primary finding was that preassessed salience significantly influenced 5-year olds' ability to discriminate two objects, while salience did not affect 10-year olds' or adults' response times. Results showed that salience effects in perceptual…