Availability and spontaneous use of verbal labels in sorting categorization by 16–23-month olds

This study investigated the role of word knowledge and spontaneous labeling of familiar objects in free sorting object categorization by 16–23-month-old children. General vocabulary was related to categorization on particular tasks involving both familiar and unfamiliar objects. Object labeling was associated with categorization when familiar objects of a given kind were identical. Spontaneous object labeling was also the only predictor of non-familiar object categorization, beyond the effects of age and vocabulary. The pattern of results suggests that spontaneous object labeling during free sorting is a reflection of the child's heightened involvement in the challenge of category discovery, thus perhaps facilitating object categorization. The findings reinforce the importance of teachers engaging toddlers in interactive object naming and world learning, as well as encouraging self-narration.