Analía M. Salsa

Routes to Symbolization: Intentionality and Correspondence in Early Understanding of Pictures

This research investigated the extent and nature of the informational support that enables young children to understand pictures as symbols. Two experiments were conducted using an object-retrieval task. The first experiment varied the amount (complete and no instructions) and kind of information (intended function of the symbol and picture-referent correspondence) provided to 30-month-old children. The results show that information which emphasizes intentionality was critical for symbolic comprehension. Although information about correspondence was not enough in itself, children came to achieve an insight halfway through the task, probably as a consequence of a comparison process. This study suggests that highlighting the heart of the symbolic relation, its intended function, is a privileged route in childrens appreciation of a picture-referent relation. The second experiment shows that by 36 months of age, children figured out, with no instructions at all, the intentional nature of the symbol.

Interacción materno-infantil con libros con imágenes en dos niveles socioeconómicos

Resumen El rol del contexto social inmediato del niño es considerado actualmente como esencial para su desarrollo cognitivo. Este estudio examina diferencias por nivel socioeconómico en la interacción verbal materno-infantil con libros con ilustraciones y sin texto. Se observaron 22 díadas de madres y niños argentinosde 20 a 24 meses de edad, 10 de nivel socioeconómico bajo y 12 de nivel medio. Se encontró que el estilo de la interacción difería según el nivel socioeconómico. Un estilo materno más elaborado, demandante e indirecto, junto a un niño más verbal se observó en el nivel socioeconómico medio. Se analizaron también las estrategias de distanciamiento empleadaspor las madres en la interacción. Los resultados se discuten en relación al desarrollo cognitivo infantil en general, y simbólico y lingüístico en particular, y sus posibles aplicaciones en la educación temprana.

Instruction in early comprehension and use of a symbol¿referent relation

Abstract Early symbolic understanding is influenced by multiple factors, like instruction, similarity and experience. The primary interest of this research was to study the impact of instruction on young children’s understanding of the symbolic function of a scale model. Three studies were conducted using an object retrieval task and two similar-scale spaces. The results, in combination with prior research, show that instruction acts in concert with size similarity and age: 3-year-olds do not need any instructional support in order to succeed. On the other hand, the omission of complete instructions, especially constant reminders of the parallel events that take place in both spaces, seriously disrupts 2.5-year-old children’s performance. Transfer effects of instruction are also clearly established, 2.5-year-olds are capable of realizing that a similar-scale model is related to the space it represents if the relation is fully explained and demonstrated and to transfer this awareness to a no instructions task in which they would otherwise fail.

Means of communication and sources of information: Two-year-old children's use of pictures as symbols

People use pictures for many purposes, but two common functions are to communicate information to others and to extract new information. Previous research has demonstrated that 2-year-old children fail in using pictures as sources of information in search tasks (DeLoache & Burns, 1994). The purpose of this research was to investigate if children this age could, nonetheless, communicate via a picture the location of an object they have observed being hidden and, if so, whether experience with this function can facilitate using pictures as sources of information. Results show that children successfully used pictures to communicate information and that the symbolic awareness children gained with this task was rapidly transferred to one that required using pictures to extract information, task in which they otherwise fail.

Desarrollo temprano de la comprensión de objetos simbólicos: el papel de la instrucción

espanolLa investigacion que aqui se presenta estudia el impacto de la instruccion en la comprension y el uso de objetos simbolicos por parte de ninos pequenos. Con este proposito se examina la comprension simbolica de maquetas utilizando dos espacios pequenos altamente similares. La informacion suministrada acerca de la relacion simbolo-referente se varia en instrucciones completas y minimas. Los resultados obtenidos, en combinacion con estudios previos, muestran la interaccion entre instruccion y edad. Los efectos de aprendizaje y transferencia de la instruccion son tambien claramente demostrados. Los ninos de 36 meses de edad necesitan instrucciones menos explicitas y detalladas que los ninos de 30 meses para resolver la misma tarea. Ademas, el insight representacional que alcanzan los ninos de 30 meses con instrucciones completas se transfiere a una tarea de mayor dificultad (con instrucciones minimas), tarea que sin esa experiencia especifica previa los ninos a esta edad no son capaces de resolver. EnglishThe main purpose of this research is to study the impact of instruction on young childrens understanding and use of symbolic objects. We examined the comprehension of scale models using two highly iconic small spaces. We varied the information given about the symbol-referent relation in complete and minimal instructions. The results, in combination with prior research, show that instruction acts in concert with age. The learning and transfer effects of adult explicit instruction were also clearly established. Three-year-olds need less support and explicit information than 2.5-year-old children, who need full instructions in order to be able to complete the same model task and to transfer this symbol-referent relation to a more difficult task (with minimal instructions) in which they would otherwise fail.

Scaffolding young children’s understanding of symbolic objects

Symbolic objects are cognitive tools children must learn to master very early in life. A crucial factor in cognitive development is the instruction or informational support children receive in social contexts. While numerous studies have investigated the relation between instruction and development in various domains, like language or symbolic play, still little is known concerning the role of this factor in the comprehension of symbolic objects. The purpose of this article is to illustrate with an overview of the results of the authors’ research how instruction scaffolds the comprehension and use of symbolic objects. In this framework instruction is conceived as a process that mediates the skills that children develop and meanings they build. Some educational implications are discussed.

Drawing for others: influence of referential intention in early production of drawings / Dibujar para otros: influencia de la intencionalidad referencial en la producción temprana de dibujos

Abstract This study examines if and how the presence of an adult as a receptive agent of children’s drawings has an effect on the early production of pictorial symbols by emphasizing the children’s referential intention as drawers. To this end, we compared three-year-old children’s representational drawings with a model in four experimental conditions, three conditions with an adult as a receptive agent and one condition without a receiver. In the conditions with a receiver (Linguistic Feedback, Graphic Demonstration and Graphic Product) children were explicitly asked to draw for an adult, who had to use the children’s pictures to find hidden objects in identical boxes; the conditions differed in the adult’s actions with non-representational drawings. The results indicate that the presence of the receiver had an impact on representational production only when the adult demonstrated how to create the drawings with the intent of communicating the identity of the objects (Graphic Demonstration). Although drawing is typically viewed as a solitary activity, these results suggest that representational drawings may emerge in communicative contexts between drawers and receivers.

Implicancias didácticas del uso y la comprensión temprana de símbolos

Resumen En este trabajo se presenta un modelo teórico reciente sobre el desarrollo de la comprensión y el uso temprano de símbolos con el fin de aplicar sus postulados a la utilización posterior de artefactos simbólicos en la enseñanza. En primer lugar se revisa una serie de investigaciones que muestran cómo la similitud perceptual símbolo-referente, la experiencia simbólica y el soporte social, a modo de instrucción, influyen en los orígenes del funcionamiento simbólico. Se propone una nueva aproximación a esta perspectiva introduciendo en su estudio conceptos de la teoría sociocultural, en particular en cuanto a las relaciones entre soporte social, aprendizajey desarrollo simbólico. Finalmente, se discute el uso de objetos simbólicos empleados comunmente en el aula como material didáctico, sugiriendo que para aprovecharlos exitosamente los alumnos pueden necesitar de la tutoría explícita del docente.