Vieillissement de l'organisation conceptuelle : accès aux propriétés des objets naturels et fabriqués

21 pagesThe organization of adults' conceptual knowledge relies on three main factors: semantic domain (natural objects or artifacts), type of property (visual or functional), and specificity level (general or distinctive properties). This study aims at evaluating which object properties are the most sensitive to normal aging. Accessibility of properties was assessed in young and old adults as a function of these variables, using a property verification task. In both groups, functional properties were more quickly accessed than visual ones, especially specific properties of artifacts. A particular difficulty for specific visual properties of natural objects appeared with aging, suggesting a common form of decline between normal aging and dementia of Alzheimer type. Results related to aging are discussed in relation to hypotheses of the formation of objects concepts.Les connaissances conceptuelles seraient organisées chez l'adulte par le domaine d'appartenance des objets (naturels ou fabriqués), le type de propriétés (visuelles ou fonctionnelles) et leur niveau de spécificité. Cette recherche vise à évaluer les propriétés les plus sensibles au vieillissement. Leur accessibilité est testée chez des adultes jeunes et âgés en fonction de ces variables, à l'aide d'une épreuve de vérification de propriétés. Dans les deux groupes, les propriétés fonctionnelles sont plus accessibles que les propriétés visuelles, surtout à un niveau spécifique et pour les objets fabriqués. Une difficulté particulière pour les propriétés visuelles spécifiques des objets naturels se manifeste lors du vieillissement, ce qui suggère une forme commune d'altération entre le vieillissement normal et la démence Alzheimer. Les résultats liés au vieillissement sont discutés vis-à-vis des hypothèses de formation des concepts d'objets

Le développement de la catégorisation : l'impact différencié de deux types d'apprentissage en fonction des catégories d'objets, naturels ou fabriqués

13 pagesSeveral routes may be implied in categorization development. Recent data suggest different ways to construct taxonomic categories as a function of children and situations, more particularly object's kind. To test this hypothesis, 5 year-old children's ability to categorize natural kinds and artifacts at the global level was assessed, before and after their participation to 3 learning sessions. During these sessions, children were taught to look for either perceptual similarities or common functions among sets of objects. Whereas no improvement in the categorization task is observed following sessions, the learning phase changes children's patterns of performances according to domains. Looking for perceptual similarities improves natural kinds' categorization to the prejudice of artifact's categorization. On the contrary, looking for common functions involves progress in artifacts' categorization but not in natural kinds' categorization. Consequences of these results on the conception of cognitive development and on pedagogy are discussed.Plusieurs cheminements pourraient être impliqués dans le développement de la catégorisation. Des données récentes suggèrent des modes de constructions des catégories taxonomiques différenciés selon les enfants et les situations, notamment le type d'objet. Pour tester cette hypothèse, la capacité à catégoriser les objets naturels et fabriqués au niveau global (les animaux, les véhicules, etc.) a été évaluée chez des enfants de 5 ans, avant et après qu'ils aient participé à 3 séances de travail. Durant ces séances, les enfants étaient amenés à rechercher soit des ressemblances perceptives soit des fonctions communes parmi des ensembles d'objets. Alors que les séances n'entraînent globalement pas de progrès dans la tâche de catégorisation, l'apprentissage modifie les profils de performances en fonction des domaines. La recherche d'attributs perceptifs communs améliore la catégorisation des objets naturels au détriment des objets fabriqués. A l'inverse, la recherche de fonctions communes engendre des progrès dans la catégorisation des objets fabriqués mais pas dans celle des objets naturels. Les implications de ces résultats sur la conception du développement cognitif et sur la pédagogie sont discutées

Le rôle de l'action dans l'accès aux concepts d'objets : Apport de la neuropsychologie et des neurosciences cognitives

National audienc

Thematic knowledge, artifact concepts, and the left posterior temporal lobe: Where action and object semantics converge

International audienc

Analysis of Mackinaw Propulsion Test Data

This report reviews and analyzes the Mackinaw test data, and the performance of its podded propulsors in various ice conditions. The model used in this report is of the USCG Mackinaw icebreaker, driven by two podded propulsors. Further, a detailed description of a data analysis program will be presented. A final discussion and analysis of this data using the podded propulsor analysis program will be presented.Peer reviewed: NoNRC publication: Ye

Object manipulability affects children's and adults' conceptual processing.

International audienceResearch on kinds of concepts indicates that children use perceptual and functional information differently to form natural and artifact concepts. Beyond object domain, object manipulability appears to be a decisive factor in adult conceptual processing. Thus, the effect of object manipulability on conceptual processing was tested in 5- and 7-year-olds and adults using a picture matching task. Reaction times for identifying conceptual relations on the basis of perceptual similarity (e.g., jacket-coat) and contextual/functional information (e.g., jacket-hanger) were analyzed according to object manipulability and domain. Both children and adults were faster to identify contextual/functional relations for manipulable than for nonmanipulable objects. Conversely, they were faster to identify perceptual similarity relations for nonmanipulable than for manipulable objects, particularly for natural concepts. Results reveal an early distinction between concepts of manipulable and nonmanipulable objects. Implications for further research on concept formation and for embodied views of concepts are discussed

Modality switching cost during property verification by 7 years of age

International audienceRecent studies in neuroimagery and cognitive psychology support the view of sensory-motor based knowledge: when processing an object concept, neural systems would re-enact previous experiences with this object. In this experiment, a conceptual switching cost paradigm derived from Pecher, Zeelenberg, and Barsalou (2003, 2004) was used to investigate sensory-motor simulation in children's conceptual processing. Adults and 7-year-old children performed a property verification task involving visual and motor properties of manipulable artifacts. Verification times were compared for target trials preceded by a trial in which the property either involved the same modality or a different one. By 7 years of age, results revealed a modality switching cost with longer verification times in the different modality than in the same modality condition. In addition, the switching effect did not interact with age or property modality type. Results support an embodied view of concepts in both adults and children. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER] Copyright of International Journal of Behavioral Development is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.