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The Role of Generic Language in the Early Development of Social Categorization
Author(s) -
Rhodes Marjorie,
Leslie SarahJane,
Bianchi Lydia,
Chalik Lisa
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
child development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1467-8624
pISSN - 0009-3920
DOI - 10.1111/cdev.12714
Subject(s) - categorization , psychology , meaning (existential) , set (abstract data type) , language development , plural , perception , linguistics , feature (linguistics) , language acquisition , social category , cognitive psychology , developmental psychology , social psychology , computer science , mathematics education , neuroscience , psychotherapist , programming language , philosophy
Classifying people into categories not only helps humans simplify a complex social world but also contributes to stereotyping and discrimination. This research examines how social categorization develops by testing how language imbues with meaning otherwise arbitrary differences between people. Experimental studies ( N = 129) with 2‐year‐olds showed that generic language—language that refers to abstract kinds—guides the development of social categorization. Toddlers learned a new category after hearing generic language about individuals who shared an arbitrary perceptual feature but not after hearing matched specific language, simple labels, or plural (but nongeneric) language about the same set of individuals. These findings show how subtle linguistic cues shape the development of social categorization.