INFANTS ATTENTION TO OBJECT STRUCTURE IN EARLY CATEGORIZATION

Three experiments with object-manipulation tasks examined the effect o f object structure on 14-, 18-, and 22-month-olds' categorization. In Experiment 1, categorization of animals and vehicles was tested when o bject structure was normal and when it was violated by moving parts (l egs or wheels) into a novel configuration. Ln Experiment 2, categoriza tion of animals, vehicles, and furniture was examined when object stru cture was modified in orientation (e.g., legs inverted) or in configur ation (e.g., legs at tangential angles). In Experiment 3, infants' att ention to texture in categorization was tested. The results of the stu dies showed that 14- to 22-month-olds attend to object parts and struc tural configuration to categorize and that they do not attend to objec t texture. There is a perceptual basis for early categorization at the superordinate-like level, and infants are constrained in the parts an d object structures they recognize in this process.