If many things in the infant's world have frightened him or her, he or she is apt to form an opinion that the world is a rather frightening place. On the other hand, if very few things have frightened him, then he or she may form the opinion that the world is a rather friendly, happy, and secure place.

In either case, the infant's opinion is predicated upon his prior and on-going processes of perception, identification, classification, selection, and association.

When facts have been identified and associated, the mind begins to put these facts together to form a concept. This process of forming concepts actually begins with, and is part of, the process of classification.

Humans classify the perceptions that they have identified, "to put things in order" in their minds. In order to understand as much of the world as they can, which is absolutely essential for survival, they classify their perceptions and experience through a continual process of comparing one object with another, and eventually grouping facts according to their similarities.

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