Sarah's mom told her they were going outside in the rain and needed a bumbershoot. Sarah had never heard the word bumbershoot before, but she knew the word umbrella. Sarah tries to figure out what the new word means, and eventually she decides that a bumbershoot must be an umbrella. Sarah must abandon her __________ to reach this conclusion.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Mutual exclusivity bias is the assumption that words refer to entirely separate categories with no overlap. Sarah had to overcome this bias to understand that "bumbershoot" and "umbrella" could refer to the same object.

Sarah's Mom Told Her They Were Going Outside in the Rain