Attention to stimuli, verbal labeling, and question asking in referential communication.

This study evaluated the effects of age, the dyad's attention to and verbal labeling of target and nontarget stimuli, and listener instructions to ask questions on referential communication in 48 five-year-old and 48 eight-year-old dyads. A MANOVA for dyad activities indicated both age and dyad-activities differences. The dyads that located and verbally labeled the critical attributes were superior to the dyads that simply located the critical attributes and to control dyads on speaker performance. A MANOVA for listener instructions to ask questions yielded no age differences on the number of questions asked and no interaction between age and instructions to ask questions. It indicated that listeners instructed to ask questions and control listeners differed on the number of questions asked but not on communication accuracy.