The origins of same/different discrimination in human infants

Susan Hespos; Dedre Gentner; Erin Anderson; Apoorva Shivaram

doi:10.1016/j.cobeha.2020.10.013

The origins of same/different discrimination in human infants

Susan Hespos, Dedre Gentner, Erin Anderson, Apoorva Shivaram

Psychology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

8 Scopus citations

Abstract

The ability to detect relational patterns shared by different objects, events, or ideas is a cornerstone of our higher reasoning ability. This characteristic of humans’ abilities may have its origins in a relational processing mechanism that allows us to abstract same/different representations using comparison. This article discusses research that investigates the nature of this ability and how it develops by exploring relational learning in infants and tracing its development over the first year of life. Delineating the conditions that promote relational learning in young infants allows for comparisons to relational learning in children and adults. More broadly, this research influences our understanding of human cognition and how it differs from that of other species.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	69-74
Number of pages	6
Journal	Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences
Volume	37
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cobeha.2020.10.013
State	Published - Feb 2021

Funding

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Nos. BCS-1423917 and BCS-1729720 to SH and DG. We thank Susan Carey and the McDonnell foundation network grant for hosting ‘The ontogenetic origins of abstract combinatorial thought’ symposium at Harvard in Summer of 2017 that served as the impetus for this special issue.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Cognitive Neuroscience
Psychiatry and Mental health
Behavioral Neuroscience

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1016/j.cobeha.2020.10.013

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abstract = "The ability to detect relational patterns shared by different objects, events, or ideas is a cornerstone of our higher reasoning ability. This characteristic of humans{\textquoteright} abilities may have its origins in a relational processing mechanism that allows us to abstract same/different representations using comparison. This article discusses research that investigates the nature of this ability and how it develops by exploring relational learning in infants and tracing its development over the first year of life. Delineating the conditions that promote relational learning in young infants allows for comparisons to relational learning in children and adults. More broadly, this research influences our understanding of human cognition and how it differs from that of other species.",

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AU - Shivaram, Apoorva

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AB - The ability to detect relational patterns shared by different objects, events, or ideas is a cornerstone of our higher reasoning ability. This characteristic of humans’ abilities may have its origins in a relational processing mechanism that allows us to abstract same/different representations using comparison. This article discusses research that investigates the nature of this ability and how it develops by exploring relational learning in infants and tracing its development over the first year of life. Delineating the conditions that promote relational learning in young infants allows for comparisons to relational learning in children and adults. More broadly, this research influences our understanding of human cognition and how it differs from that of other species.

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The origins of same/different discrimination in human infants

Abstract

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ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

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