Mutual exclusivity means that words mean different things.

Mutual exclusivity means that words mean different things.

• A. Words refer to abstract concepts
• B. Words mean different things
• C. Words refer to the same object
• D. Words have identical meanings

Answer: (B)

Mutual exclusivity is the bias that each object gets its own label, so different words map to different things. In early language learning, kids expect a new word to refer to something that doesn’t already have a name, rather than to an object that already has a label. That’s why the idea that “words mean different things” best captures this principle—the mapping from words to referents is one-to-one and distinct. The other notions don’t fit because mutual exclusivity isn’t about words referring to abstract concepts, nor about two words labeling the same object, nor about words having identical meanings.

Mutual exclusivity is the bias that each object gets its own label, so different words map to different things. In early language learning, kids expect a new word to refer to something that doesn’t already have a name, rather than to an object that already has a label. That’s why the idea that “words mean different things” best captures this principle—the mapping from words to referents is one-to-one and distinct.

The other notions don’t fit because mutual exclusivity isn’t about words referring to abstract concepts, nor about two words labeling the same object, nor about words having identical meanings.