Why do young children learn whole objects words (e.g., cat) before they learn related, superordinate words (e.g., animal) and subordinate words (e.g., Persian)?
A) Generally, whole object words tend to be shorter than superordinate and subordinate words.
B) Parents and teachers use whole object words more frequently than they use subordinate and superordinate references.
C) Generally, whole object words tend to be easier to pronounce than superordinate and subordinate words.
D) Children are predisposed to learn words in that order.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This phenomenon is known as the whole object assumption, which means that children assume that a novel word refers to an entire object rather than just part of it or a category it belongs to. This assumption helps children build their vocabulary efficiently by selecting the most informative words first, and whole object words tend to be more informative than superordinate and subordinate words for young children. This is likely due to evolutionary predispositions and cognitive constraints in early word learning.

Why Do Young Children Learn Whole Objects Words (E