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Published on: February 20, 2014
Color-picture interference in children: effects of spatial and temporal segregation of color and form
Wido La Heij1, Harrie Boelens, Simone P Akerboom
1Cognitive Psychology Unit, Faculty of Social Sciences, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9555, 2300 RB Leiden, The Netherlands. laheij@fsw.leidenuniv.nl
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.
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