Language is not Just for Talking

TLDR

Verbal labels may shape concepts beyond their communicative function. The study examined whether labels influence category formation. After feedback, participants received either a nonsense label or none, and a follow‑up study compared verbal and nonverbal associations, finding nonverbal learning did not aid categorization. Participants learned to categorize aliens as approachable or avoidable, and nonsense labels facilitated learning, but nonverbal associations did not, showing labels concretize category distinctions and impact language‑thought debates.

Abstract

In addition to having communicative functions, verbal labels may play a role in shaping concepts. Two experiments assessed whether the presence of labels affected category formation. Subjects learned to categorize "aliens" as those to be approached or those to be avoided. After accuracy feedback on each response was provided, a nonsense label was either presented or not. Providing nonsense category labels facilitated category learning even though the labels were redundant and all subjects had equivalent experience with supervised categorization of the stimuli. A follow-up study investigated differences between learning verbal and nonverbal associations and showed that learning a nonverbal association did not facilitate categorization. The findings show that labels make category distinctions more concrete and bear directly on the language-and-thought debate.