Measures of linguistic and non-linguistic knowledge of objects in the second year

Abstract

In comparing linguistic to non-linguistic categorization in children, researchers have typically considered children's ability to distinguish between classes from different superordinate categories. In this research we compared categorization of objects from basic level categories in both linguistic and non-linguistic domains. This study also added the additional control of using the same specific concepts in each domain. The sample consisted of 24 children at 21 months of age. Linguistic comprehension of the labels for the test categories exceeded, but was correlated with, linguistic production of the same category labels. Neither linguistic measure was associated with corresponding measures of temporal grouping of objects from the same categories. The validity of the measures was attested to by the finding that all three measures correlated significantly with several other measures of linguistic development. Particularly interesting was the finding that children with a 'referential style' of language engaged in higher levels of temporal grouping. This finding suggests that relations between linguistic and non-linguistic categorization are mediated by conceptual style.