Effect of color on developmental picture-vocabulary naming of 4-, 6-, and 8-year-old children

This study examined the effect of color on the naming process in children f or pictures of increasing vocabulary difficulty levels. Picture-naming reac tion times and accuracy rates were measured for both black and white line d rawings and color drawings in 30 normally developing children, ages 4, 6, a nd 8 years, via a tachistoscopic viewing paradigm. Statistical analysis of reaction time data revealed that color affected speed of naming only when t he vocabulary level of the picture was within the developmental range of th e child. That is, for vocabulary within an emerging period for the child, c olored drawings were named significantly faster than black and white line d rawings. However, color did not significantly influence speed of naming for pictures either for vocabulary well established in the child's lexicon or for vocabulary above the child's developmental age. Statistical analysis of accuracy data revealed significant color by vocabulary interactions. Speci fically, when the vocabulary level of the pictures exceeded chronological a ge level, children named color drawings with significantly higher accuracy rates than black and white line drawings.