On the Color- Vocabulary of Children. 7 



any special vocabulary, they will be found in the delicacy of 

 the discriminative potvcr and the 7ieed for expj'essing small 

 degrees of difference. The truth of this generalization is most 

 clearly seen in the color-vocabulary, to which the remainder 

 of this article is devoted. The eye is most sensitive at the 

 red end of the spectrum. Here also we find the greatest 

 need for color-names, and by far the largest number of terms 

 in use. 



Few investigations on the knowledge and use of words 

 among very young children have come to my notice. The 

 ease with which special information of this nature might be 

 collected renders it probable that such will soon be forth- 

 coming. The early development of the sense of color in the 

 individual is clearly indicated in Preyer's observations on his 

 own child. ^ During the first few days after birth, the child 

 probably distinguished only light and dark, and these very 

 imperfectly. On the eleventh day a burning candle seemed 

 to give it pleasure, and even before this time the mild sun- 

 light from the window attracted its notice and caused it to 

 turn its head in that direction. The first object which, on 

 account of its color, seemed to attract the attention of the 

 child was a pink curtain brightly illuminated by the sun, and 

 about a foot from its face. This was first observed on the 

 twenty-third day. 



When Preyer began systematic experiments in the eighty- 

 fifth week, no trace of ability to associate names with colors 

 could be detected. There was, however, undoubtedly a per- 

 ception of color apart from light and dark, as the pleasure in 

 bright colors clearly indicated. Repeated attempts to have 

 the child associate the name with the color were in vain, even 

 when only red and green were used. On the 758th day the 

 number of correct answers so constantly exceeded the incor- 

 rect ones that a beginning of correct association could be 

 detected. On the 763rd day almost complete association 

 was established and afterwards maintained for these two 

 colors in the absence of others. Yellow was added and un- 



^ Die Seele des Kindes, 2'" Aufl., S. 7- 1 6. 

 211 



