It has long been debated whether and how verbal processing influences our nonverbal processing. Experimental studies in humans have provided evidence that the acquisition and use of verbal labels modulates our perception and cognition of the labeled items. The evidence, however, is somehow controversial, and the underlying mechanisms are still not completely understood. This paper highlights the significance of comparative cognitive studies on this topic. Comparative studies have revealed that nonhuman animals also learn symbolic labels to categorize items. While only a few studies have investigated the effects of their symbol use on non-symbolic cognitive performance, these studies provide new insight into the labeling effect. This review introduces a preliminary study of capuchin monkeys and discuss the potential contribution and limitations of comparative studies.

「この本！ おすすめします」は、毎月一人の執筆者がテーマを決めてお薦めの本を紹介する連載である。この連載は、選書を通じて選者をも紹介する意図で企画した。11年半（2006年10月～2018年3月）続いたこの連載の中で紹介された全360冊をリスト（PDF）にした。