If you point to a novel object on top of a truck and say "zipple," a child will know the name applies to the novel object and not the known object. This is an example of:
A) the whole object assumption.
B) the mutual exclusivity bias.
C) syntactic bootstrapping.
D) overregularization.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The mutual exclusivity bias is a cognitive bias that leads children to assume that each object has one and only one name. When they hear a new word, they tend to map it to an unknown object rather than one that already has a name. This is why in the scenario, the child assumes "zipple" refers to the novel object on the truck, rather than the truck itself, which is likely a known object to the child.

If You Point to a Novel Object on Top of a Truck