The current research investigates infants' perception of a novel object from a category that is familiar to young infants: key rings. We ask whether experiences obtained outside the lab would allow young infants to parse the visible portions of a partly occluded key ring display into one single unit, presumably as a result of having categorized it as a key ring. This categorization was marked by infants' perception of the keys and ring as a single unit that should move together, despite their attribute differences. We showed infants a novel key ring display in which the keys and ring moved together as one rigid unit (Move-together event) or the ring moved but the keys remained stationary throughout the event (Move-apart event). Our results showed that 8.5-month-old infants perceived the keys and ring as connected despite their attribute differences, and that their perception of object unity was eliminated as the distinctive attributes of the key ring were removed. When all of the distinctive attributes of the key ring were removed, the 8.5-month-old infants perceived the display as two separate units, which is how younger infants (7-month-old) perceived the key ring display with all its distinctive attributes unaltered. These results suggest that on the basis of extensive experience with an object category, infants come to identify novel members of that category and expect them to possess the attributes typical of that category.

中文翻译：

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婴儿在 8.5 个月大时在分离物体时使用类别知识和物体属性

当前的研究调查了婴儿对来自幼儿熟悉的类别的新物体的感知：钥匙圈。我们询问在实验室外获得的经验是否会允许小婴儿将部分被遮挡的钥匙环显示的可见部分解析为一个单元，这可能是将其归类为钥匙环的结果。这种分类的特点是婴儿将钥匙和戒指视为一个应该一起移动的单个单元，尽管它们的属性不同。我们向婴儿展示了一种新颖的钥匙环展示，其中钥匙和环作为一个刚性单元一起移动（一起移动事件），或者环移动但钥匙在整个事件中保持静止（移动分离事件）。我们的结果表明，8. 5 个月大的婴儿认为钥匙和戒指尽管属性不同，但它们是相连的，并且随着钥匙环的独特属性被去除，他们对物体统一性的感知也被消除了。当钥匙圈的所有独特属性都被移除时，8.5 个月大的婴儿将显示器视为两个独立的单元，这就是年幼婴儿（7 个月大）对具有所有独特属性的钥匙圈显示器的感知方式不变。这些结果表明，基于对对象类别的广泛经验，婴儿开始识别该类别的新成员，并期望他们拥有该类别的典型属性。当钥匙圈的所有独特属性都被移除时，8.5 个月大的婴儿将显示器视为两个独立的单元，这就是年幼婴儿（7 个月大）对具有所有独特属性的钥匙圈显示器的感知方式不变。这些结果表明，基于对对象类别的广泛经验，婴儿开始识别该类别的新成员，并期望他们拥有该类别的典型属性。当钥匙圈的所有独特属性都被移除时，8.5 个月大的婴儿将显示器视为两个独立的单元，这就是年幼婴儿（7 个月大）对具有所有独特属性的钥匙圈显示器的感知方式不变。这些结果表明，基于对对象类别的广泛经验，婴儿开始识别该类别的新成员，并期望他们拥有该类别的典型属性。