%0 Journal Article
%A Striano, Tricia
%A Rochat, P.
%A Legerstee, M.
%+ Junior Research Group on Cultural Ontogeny, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Max Planck Society
Department of Developmental and Comparative Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Max Planck Society
%T The role of modelling and request type on symbolic comprehension of objects and gestures in young children : 
%G eng
%U https://hdl.handle.net/11858/00-001M-0000-0010-0649-6
%F EDOC: 124019
%F ISI: 000182213200002
%R 10.1017/S0305000902005524
%7 2003-03-17
%D 2003
%* Review method: peer-reviewed
%X In a first study, we considered whether modelling and the type of an adult's request influenced children's ability at 1;8 and 2;2 to comprehend gestures and replica objects as symbols for familiar objects. In a second study, we evaluated whether modelling and type of request influenced children's ability at 1;8 (N=24) to understand unfamiliar (i.e. unconventional) objects as symbols. Results of Study 1 indicated that children at 2;2 comprehended a gesture as a symbol in the absence of any previous model demonstration. All children comprehended a replica as standing for another object, although modelling marginally improved children's performance at 2;2 and decreased performance at 1;8. In general, the type of request did not influence children's comprehension of gestures or replicas as symbols. Results of Study 2 showed that modelling and request type did not influence children's understanding of objects that are unconventional and novel, as symbols. The studies converge to suggest that symbolic comprehension is a highly context-dependent ability that continues to develop over the second year.


%J Journal of Child Language
%O J. Child Lang.
%V 30
%N 1
%& 27
%P 27 - 45
%@ 0305-0009