title: Color-picture interference in children: effects of spatial and temporal segregation of color and form.
abstract: Children 5 to 8 years of age find it harder to name the color of a meaningful picture (e.g., of a table) than to name the color of an abstract form. Previous research suggests that this color-object interference effect is most likely due to competition between the task set of color-naming and the children's prepotent tendency to name the picture's identity. The present article examined whether color-object interference diminishes when cues are provided that have been shown to facilitate the segregation of the relevant (color) attribute and the irrelevant (form) attribute of the stimulus. Experiment 1 examined the effect of a spatial separation, and Experiment 2 the effect of a temporal separation between color and picture. Both manipulations resulted in the elimination of color-object interference, suggesting that children 5 to 8 years old were able to use these cues to overcome task competition.
authors.affiliation: Cognitive Psychology Unit, Faculty of Social Sciences, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9555, 2300 RB Leiden, The Netherlands. laheij@fsw.leidenuniv.nl
authors.forename: Wido
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: La Heij
authors.forename: Harrie
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Boelens
authors.forename: Simone P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Akerboom
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003118:Color Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D003463:Cues; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors