Picture Naming by Young Children: Norms for Name Agreement, Familiarity, and Visual Complexity

Abstract

Researchers concerned with the development of cognitive functions are in need of standardized material that can be used with both adults and children. The present article provides normative measures for 400 line drawings viewed by 5- and 6-year-old children. The three variables obtained—name agreement, familiarity, and visual complexity—are important because of their potential effect on memory and other cognitive processes. The normative data collected in the present study indicate that young children are different from adults in both the name most frequently assigned and the number of alternative names provided. The alternative names given by the children are either coordinate names or names of objects that are visually similar to the pictured object. In addition, the failure (to name) rate is higher among young children compared to adults. Thus, we conclude that unequivocal interpretation of age-related differences in cognitive functions can be made only when age-appropriate pictorial stimuli are chosen.