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Children's comprehension of expressions of intention
Author(s) -
Astington Janet W.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
british journal of developmental psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.062
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 2044-835X
pISSN - 0261-510X
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-835x.1986.tb00996.x
Subject(s) - psychology , comprehension , expression (computer science) , cognition , action (physics) , developmental psychology , past tense , present tense , cognitive psychology , linguistics , verb , philosophy , physics , quantum mechanics , neuroscience , computer science , programming language
The concept of intention is central to human cognition and the expression of intention in language is a vital part of human communication. This study examined children's comprehension of some expressions of intention by determining their ability to choose from sets of pictures the ones that illustrated sentences which included expressions of intention. Two types of expression were used: expressions in the present tense marking prior intentions (type A) and expressions in the past tense marking the intentional or unintentional nature of an action (type B). Children were tested at four age levels: 4, 5, 7 and 9 years. It was found that understanding improved markedly between the ages of 4 and 9. The 4‐year‐olds appeared to disregard the expressions of intention, whereas the 9‐year‐olds understood most of them.