In 6 experiments, 144 toddlers were tested in groups ranging in mean age from 20 to 37 months. In all experiments, children learned a novel label for a doll or a stuffed animal. The label was modeled syntactically as either a count noun (e.g., "This is a ZAV") or a proper name (e.g., "This is ZAV"). The object was then moved to a new location in front of the child, and a second identical-looking object was placed nearby. The children's task was to choose 1 of the 2 objects as a referent for the novel word. By 24 months, both girls (Experiment 2) and boys (Experiment 5) were significantly more likely to select the labeled object if they heard a proper name than if they heard a count noun. At 20 months, neither girls (Experiments 1 and 6) nor boys (Experiment 1) demonstrated this effect. By their 2nd birthdays, children can use syntactic information to distinguish appropriately between labels for individual objects and those for object categories.

No abstract

No abstract

Plant, animal, forest, aquatic, micro-organism and invertebrate genetic resources are vital to food security, nutrition, livelihoods and the resilience and adaptability of global agricultural production systems. Despite increasing efforts in recent years, much remains to be done to improve the management of these resources. Many are at risk of extinction or erosion and many have been overlooked in terms of use and development. There is an urgent need to address these deficiencies, both within the individual sectors of food and agriculture and in terms of how genetic resources management can be better integrated across sectors. These efforts will need to include action to address the multiple knowledge gaps that constrain improvements to management. They will also need to include the creation of policy and institutional frameworks that promote collaboration and stakeholder participation and allow sustainable management strategies to be implemented effectively at appropriate scales.

No abstract