| Abstract: | Many objects have multiple names. Nonlinguistic context may help to constrain object-name selection to a single alternative for use in speaking tasks. Children at three ages (5, 7, and 9 years old) named objects with multiple names in two contexts. In the neutral context, the intended object could be designated unambiguously with any of its alternative names. In the biased context, the intended referent could be clearly designated only with a name from a subset of possible alternatives. Children selected names in accord with nonlinguistic constraints, but at the cost of longer naming times. Both name selection success and associated cost were more evident in older than in younger children. The results are consistent with the hypotheses that name selection involves inhibition of competing alternative names and that efficient use of these inhibitory processes develops gradually. |
