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Science 25 September 2009:
Vol. 325. no. 5948, p. 1624
DOI: 10.1126/science.1172759
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Technical Comments

Comment on "Infants’ Perseverative Search Errors Are Induced by Pragmatic Misinterpretation"

John P. Spencer,1,* Evelina Dineva,1 Linda B. Smith2

Topál et al. (Reports, 26 September 2008, p. 1831) proposed that infants’ perseverative search errors can be explained by ostensive cues from the experimenter. We use the dynamic field theory to test the proposal that infants encode locations more weakly when social cues are present. Quantitative simulations show that this account explains infants’ performance without recourse to the theory of natural pedagogy.

1 Department of Psychology and Delta Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
2 Department of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Indiana University, 1101 East 10th Street, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: john-spencer{at}uiowa.edu

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Response to Comment on "Infants' Perseverative Search Errors Are Induced by Pragmatic Misinterpretation".
J. Topal, M. Toth, G. Gergely, and G. Csibra (2009)
Science 325, 1624
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