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Preschool children's ability to visually represent relations
Author(s) -
Koerber Susanne,
Sodian Beate
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
developmental science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.801
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1467-7687
pISSN - 1363-755X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-7687.2008.00683.x
Subject(s) - comprehension , psychology , spatial relation , cognitive psychology , task (project management) , spatial ability , developmental psychology , space (punctuation) , production (economics) , cognition , linguistics , artificial intelligence , computer science , neuroscience , philosophy , management , economics , macroeconomics
The developmental origins of mapping temporal relations onto space was investigated in N = 122 3‐ to 5‐year‐old children and adults. Spontaneous production and comprehension were investigated. Production was investigated in two conditions: an iconic condition (three‐dimensional objects depicting the events or objects to be represented) and an abstract condition (plain discs). Consistent with findings by Tversky, Kugelmass and Winter (1991 ), 5‐year‐olds performed on an adult‐like level. Developmental progress was observed between the ages of 3 and 4 years, with comprehension preceding production. Consistent with DeLoache's findings (2000 ), 4‐year‐olds’ performance was better in abstract than in iconic conditions, indicating that dual representational demands may have affected task performance in the iconic condition. In sum, abilities to map temporal relations onto spatial relations appear to develop spontaneously, even before children have experience with conventional notational systems.