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Abstract

The issue that how category support and constrain induction is the central question in the studies of inductive reasoning, furthermore, the issue is related to the question that how human learn and use category. In the present study, development and cognitive neuroscience methods were used to investigate how category was the range of induction, by focusing on discuss the labeling effects in children and the time course of category-based induction. The data of the studies on labeling effects showed that:1) When the materials used in the experiments were familiar to children and were benefited to evoke children’s knowledge, the conceptual categorization could support children’s induction in early age;2) When the materials were unfamiliar and unidentifiable,4-5 years old would use perceptual category to support their induction,11-year-olds would use conceptual category to make their decision,7-8 years old were transitional;3) When the materials were realistic drawings but included unfamiliar objects, labels which would be as the index of category would facilitate children’s conceptually-based induction.According to these findings, we suggested that children could use perceptual and conceptual category to support or constrain their induction. When and how children selected perceptual or conceptual category to support or constrain their induction relied on the materials, the experiences of children.In the ERPs studies of category-based induction, the data showed that:1) When the processes of categorization and properties induction were executed at the same time in the category-based induction task, comparing with the base task, inductive-able premise→basic level category task and premise→super-ordinate level category task evoked smaller P3, and inductive-able premise→basic level category task evoked more smaller P3 than inductive-able premise→super-ordinate level category task;2) When the processes of categorization and properties induction were executed separately, in the process of properties induction, inductive-able task evoked larger P3 than inductive-unable task; in the process of the categorization, premise→basic level category task evoked smallest P3 and base task evoked largest P3; 3) When the processes of categorization and properties induction were executed at the same time in the category-based induction task, there were significant differences on P3 between inductive-able tasks with inductive-unable tasks.The results showed that P3 were significant related to the category-based induction, specially related to the processes of the support or constrain of the category in category-based induction.Several issues were unresolved. Firstly, in the developmental studies, the role of the labels was unclear, and the influence of the materials in the induction need further discussed. Second, the time process of other kinds of category-based tasks could be investigated in the further. Third, more methods in neuro-cognitive science could be used to discuss the processed of category-based induction in brain. Finally, developmental neuro-science studies may be executed.

Support and limitations of the category of inductive

Abstract

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