title: Creature feature: Preschoolers use verbal descriptions to identify referents.
abstract: Representations formed on the basis of verbal descriptions may be fleeting and relatively weak or robust enough to support identification of referents. We investigated these two possibilities. Children (2.5- and 3.5-year-olds) were read verbal descriptions of unusual animals and were asked to choose the described animal from a pair of items. Sometimes the features (prototypical color and prototypical location) were distinctive (only present for the target), and sometimes one feature was present for both animals (both were yellow or on leaves). Both age groups were best able to identify the described animal when the features were distinctive, and 3.5-year-olds identified the target when both color was distinctive and a delay was inserted between the description and test.
authors: Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37069, USA. Electronic address: m.saylor@vanderbilt.edu.
authors: Megan M
authors: MM
authors: Saylor
authors: Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37069, USA.
authors: Maria
authors: M
authors: Osina
authors: Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37069, USA.
authors: Tiffany
authors: T
authors: Tassin
authors: Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37069, USA.
authors: Rachel
authors: R
authors: Rose
authors: University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1V6, Canada.
authors: Patricia
authors: P
authors: Ganea
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003116:Color; D032882:Comprehension / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007804:Language Development; D008297:Male; D012660:Semantics; D014706:Verbal Learning; D014825:Vocabulary
keywords: Cognitive development; Language comprehension; Language development; Preschoolers; Reference; Word learning