If Birds Have Sesamoid Bones, Do Blackbirds Have Sesamoid Bones? The Modification Effect With Known Compound Words.

ABSTRACT: Three experiments investigate how people infer properties of compound words from the unmodified head. Concepts license inference of properties true of the concept to instances or sub-types of that concept: Knowing that birds generally fly, one infers that a new type of bird flies. However, different names are also believed to reflect real underlying differences. Hence, a different name creates the expectation that a new bird differs from birds in general, and this might impact property inference. In these experiments, participants were told, Almost all (Some, Almost no) birds have sesamoid bones, and then asked, What percentage of blackbirds (birds) have sesamoid bones? The results indicate both inference and contrast effects. People infer properties as less common of the compound than the

SUBMITTER: Spalding TL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6629884 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature