Pomiechowska, Barbara and Gliga, Teodora (2021) Nonverbal category knowledge limits the amount of information encoded in object representations: EEG evidence from 12-month-old infants. Royal Society Open Science, 8 (3). ISSN 2054-5703
Preview |
PDF (Accepted_Manuscript)
- Accepted Version
Download (22MB) | Preview |
Preview |
PDF (Published_Version)
- Published Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (1MB) | Preview |
Abstract
To what extent does language shape how we think about the world? Studies suggest that linguistic symbols expressing conceptual categories (‘apple’, ‘squirrel’) make us focus on categorical information (e.g. that you saw a squirrel) and disregard individual information (e.g. whether that squirrel had a long or short tail). Across two experiments with preverbal infants, we demonstrated that it is not language but nonverbal category knowledge that determines what information is packed into object representations. Twelve-month-olds (N = 48) participated in an electroencephalography (EEG) change-detection task involving objects undergoing a brief occlusion. When viewing objects from unfamiliar categories, infants detected both across- and within-category changes, as evidenced by their negative central wave (Nc) event-related potential. Conversely, when viewing objects from familiar categories, they did not respond to within-category changes, which indicates that nonverbal category knowledge interfered with the representation of individual surface features necessary to detect such changes. Furthermore, distinct patterns of γ and α oscillations between familiar and unfamiliar categories were evident before and during occlusion, suggesting that categorization had an influence on the format of recruited object representations. Thus, we show that nonverbal category knowledge has rapid and enduring effects on object representation and discuss their functional significance for generic knowledge acquisition in the absence of language.
Item Type: | Article |
---|---|
Faculty \ School: | Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Psychology |
UEA Research Groups: | Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > Developmental Science |
Depositing User: | LivePure Connector |
Date Deposited: | 05 Mar 2021 00:44 |
Last Modified: | 23 Oct 2022 02:16 |
URI: | https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/79372 |
DOI: | 10.1098/rsos.200782 |
Downloads
Downloads per month over past year
Actions (login required)
![]() |
View Item |