Young children draw conclusions about the meanings of words based on a few basic rules. Which of the following is NOT one of them?
A) Unfamiliar words heard in the presence of both familiar and unfamiliar objects will be associated with the object that does not already have a name.
B) A name refers to a whole object, not parts of the object or its relationship with other objects.
C) A name refers to only a specific object, and not all objects of the same type or category.
D) If an object already has a name and another name is presented, the new name will denote a subcategory of the first name.

Question

Young children draw conclusions about the meanings of words based on a few basic rules. Which of the following is NOT one of them?
A) ​Unfamiliar words heard in the presence of both familiar and unfamiliar objects will be associated with the object that does not already have a name.
B) ​A name refers to a whole object, not parts of the object or its relationship with other objects.
C) ​A name refers to only a specific object, and not all objects of the same type or category.
D) ​If an object already has a name and another name is presented, the new name will denote a subcategory of the first name.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Children typically assume that a name refers to a category of objects (e.g., all dogs) rather than just a specific object. This is contrary to choice C, which incorrectly suggests that children believe a name refers only to a specific object.

Young Children Draw Conclusions About the Meanings of Words Based