ERIC Number: EJ736381
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006
Pages: 15
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0009-3920
EISSN: N/A
The Role of Language, Appearance, and Culture in Children's Social Category-Based Induction
Diesendruck, Gil; haLevi, Heidi
Child Development, v77 n3 p539-553 May-Jun 2006
Four studies examined whether Israeli 5-year-olds (N=88) and adults (N=48) drew inferences about psychological properties based on a character's social category, personality trait, or physical appearance trait. Study 1 revealed that while children drew inferences mostly by social category, adults did it by personality trait. Study 2 showed that the children's pattern was not due to how the categorical information was conveyed. Studies 3 and 4 demonstrated that for kindergarteners, labels, not appearances, are determinant of the inductive potential of social categories. Studies indicated that "Jew" and "Arab" were the most inductively powerful social categories for both children and adults. The results carry implications for the roles of language, appearances, and culture in the conceptualization of "human kinds."
Descriptors: Language Role, Cultural Influences, Social Influences, Young Children, Adults, Inferences, Experimental Psychology, Personality Traits, Physical Characteristics, Kindergarten, Jews, Arabs, Concept Formation, Labeling (of Persons)
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Kindergarten
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Israel
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A