Abstract: Total 275 children aged in 37~71 months had been tested their inductive reasoning in a similarity-conception confliction condition in four different hinted information task. The firstly condition was that aimed stimulus had no same audition information with selected stimulus; the secondly condition was that aimed stimulus had the same perceptual symbol with one of selected stimulus; the third condition was that aimed stimulus had the same conceptual symbol with one of selected stimulus; the fourth condition was that aimed stimulus had the same perceptual symbol with one of selected stimulus and had the same conceptual symbol with another selected stimulus. The results showed that no significant difference on based-similarity and based-conception in inductive reasoning in 3.5 years old children in four condition, and 4.5 and 5.5 years old children can base on conception in their inductive reasoning in four condition. The results also showed that children may have a gradual transition from similarity-based to category-based induction, but the age of transition may occur before 4.5, not before 7~8

Key words: similarity, conception, child, inductive reasoning