Objects’ Shape, Not Function, Found to Be Key in Early Language Development

Children learning the names of objects rely more on their shape than their function, a University of Delaware researcher reports in today’s Journal of Memory and Language. “Our findings tell parents that kids are really prepared to learn language . . . and we don’t need to frantically flash cards at our toddlers,” said psychologist Barbara Landau.

In a typical experiment, the team found that children were more likely to identify a comb-shaped piece of writing paper as a comb than either a toy rake or a plastic fork, both of which could function as a comb.

Compiled by Times medical writer Thomas H. Maugh II