When preschool children were shown a picture of a catlike animal and an experimenter either simply labeled the animal "dog" (group A) or said, "You're not going to believe this, but this is actually a dog" (group B), how likely were the children to extend the word to other catlike stimuli?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Group A was only given a simple label for the animal, which did not challenge their preexisting knowledge or expectancies. As a result, they were more likely to apply the label only to the specific animal shown and not to other similar animals. Group B, however, was given a surprising and contradictory label, which may have made them more attentive and open to the possibility of labeling other similar animals as well. Therefore, Group A was more reluctant than was Group B to extend the word to other catlike stimuli.

When Preschool Children Were Shown a Picture of a Catlike