whole object assumption

in language development, the tendency of children to suppose that a novel label refers to a whole object rather than to its parts, properties, or attributes. For example, if an adult points in the general direction of an object and uses a novel label for it, a child will assume that the whole object is the referent of the label. Compare mutual exclusivity assumption; taxonomic assumption.

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Psychology term of the day

October 6th 2024

hypothetico-deductive method

a method of scientific inquiry in which the credibility or explanatory power of a falsifiable hypothesis is tested by making predictions on the basis of this hypothesis and determining whether these predictions are consistent with empirical observations. It is one of the most widely used scientific methods for disproving hypotheses and building corroboration for those that remain. Also called mathematico-deductive method.