Symbol Use - HAYES

Question 1

Whats the big deal about symbols? (3)

Answer 1

• Symbols support reasoning and problem solving- understand the world
• Tools present in every human culture
• Unique to humans (and a limited number of primate species)

Question 2

Dual representation hypothesis (judy deloache)

Answer 2

1. Represent concrete aspects of the symbol
2. Represent relation to referent
   • Understanding of dual representation develops at different rates for different symbol systems (but follows same pattern).

Question 3

Dual representation results

Answer 3

• the more realist the picture the kids cant tell the diff
• 9 months
o Babies spent most time exploring the most realistic photographs
o Black and white they understand it is representation
o Better understand symbollic nature use sketchy less realistic pictures

Question 4

Big snoopy/little snoopy procedure

Answer 4

• 3 yr olds have 75-90% errorless retrievals
• 2 and a half yrs old have 20% errorless retrievals
o treating the model and the referent as independent
• Increasing the salience of the model should decrease performance
• Making the symbol referent relationship transparent increase performance

Question 5

Teaching children how to use models

Answer 5

1. Make it easier for the child to see correspondences between the model and the situation that is being modelled (easy model)
2. After training w the easy model examine transfer to a more complex model

Question 6

Use of anatomicaly correct dolls in forensic investigation (sexual abuse)

Answer 6

• For older kids can be useful

* For younger kids evidence accurate recall through dolls is no better and leads to more false reports

Question 7

DeLoache 2004 Reading

Answer 7

• Symbol systems increasing in our society
• Important to understand the processes of symbol development
• Infants accept wide range of entities as potential symbols
• Young children are confused about the nature of symbol referent relations
• Children rapidly progress and become good symbol users
• Infants are sensitive to the intentions of other people
• Pictures are intentionally created artifacts
• Older children take their own intention as a criterion to make pictures
• Communicative intent enhances children’s symbolism
• With age and experience, manual exploration of depicted objects declines

Dual rep
- Children have a tendency to focus on the concrete object itself than its relation to what it represents