| Summary: | A key question in categorisation is how infants extract regularities from the exemplars they
encounter. Detecting similarities and dissimilarities across items is vital in order to determine
category-relevant features. Previous research found evidence that infants acquire a single
category more easily with paired presentations in comparison to single presentations (Oakes &
Ribar, 2005; Oakes & Kovack-Lesh, 2007). Here, we focus on infants’ acquisition of a category
contrast, i.e. when they are exposed to two categories. In an eye-tracking study, we examined
10-month-old infants’ ability to learn two novel visual categories when presented with one item
at a time and with items in pairs. Infants were familiarised with pairs of items from the same
category or with pairs of items from different categories (cross-category pairs). Using a linear
model with a priori contrasts, we show that infants’ learning is directly related to the
opportunity for category comparison: there is no evidence of category learning in the singleitem condition, improved performance when familiarised with same-category pairs, and finally
robust category learning when familiarised with cross-category pairs. We conclude that
comparison which involves items from different categories promotes category formation, by
highlighting differences and promoting a discovery of category boundaries.
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