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The Symbolism of Pictures in Childhood Development

Explore how children understand and interpret pictures as symbols, the role of language in this process, and the significance of labels and familiarity. Discover the research findings on infants' recognition of symbolic representations.

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The Symbolism of Pictures in Childhood Development

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  1. The Symbolism of Pictures Clara Yoon Nathan Winkler-Rhoades

  2. What are symbols? • Something that stands for something else • Not necessarily similar to their referent • Not natural – Created • Use of symbols ~ 18 months • Words, gestures, pictures?

  3. By 18 months… • Words are interpreted referentially (Xu, et al. 2005) • Paradigm: Two-word trial, One-word trial • Surprised when # of kinds didn’t match # of labels • At chance for emotional expressions • Works at 10 months • Iconic gestures are recognized (Tomasello et al., 1999) • Children take a hammering motion as referring to hammers, e.g.

  4. Pictures as Symbols • Why are we interested in pictures? • Different from other symbols? • On one theory, pictures are more salient as objects than words or gestures, and hence harder to see as symbols • Pictures present a puzzle: • Innate ability to perceive content of pictures(Hochberg and Brookes 1969) • Yet apparent difficulty understanding that they refer to the world • ‘Pygmalion’ errors(DeLoache, et al. 1998) • Dollhouse task failure until 30 months (DeLoache, 1991, 2000)

  5. Pictures as Symbols • To review: • At first, mistake for actual referents • Somehow eventually, like adults, children recognize symbols as representations • Dual representation • At what point recognize symbolic significance?

  6. Role of Language • Language plays role? • Attract attention • Mediates reference • Evidence of its importance • Callaghan (2000) • Match picture with object • Only success when lexical labels could individuate them • Only when familiar • Winkler-Rhoades • No label, designate map for placing doll, not targets • Unfamiliar, need labels (?)

  7. ISU - Questions • How do we learn that pictures can refer to things? That they can inform us about how the world is? • Does language play a role in helping children figure out representational status of pictures?

  8. Xu and Baker (2005) • Modified manual search procedure • To understand how infants use property or kind info for object individuation

  9. Xu and Baker (2005) Results • Infants looked longer on switch trials • Labels did not matter • Familiarity did not matter • For us, important to establish that they would be surprised at switch trials

  10. ISU – Pilot Method • 18 month olds • 11 in familiar label, 7 in novel label, 7 in novel no label • Very similar to Xu and Baker (2005) • Box and novel objects • Switch trials and non-switch trials • Familiar, unfamiliar • Labeled, unlabeled • Who wants to be a baby?

  11. False Trial True Trial

  12. ISU - Pilot Alternatives/Logic • Longer reaching time on Switch than No Switch • Expect the same object to be present, confused • No difference in reaching time between Switch and No Switch (at chance) • No expectations on what object should be present • Perhaps just interest in reaching, or not reaching

  13. Labels Increased recognition of symbolic significance At chance Familiarity Increased recognition of symbolic significance At chance Labels/Familiar Alternatives

  14. ISU - Pilot Results – Label Cond. n=11 n=7

  15. ISU - Method • Same general procedure • Use pictures instead of first object remove/replace • Still Switch/No Switch trials • Still novel objects • Familiar/Unfamiliar • Label/No label

  16. ISU – Alternatives/Logic • Could use picture as symbol • On Switch trials, longer reaching time • Use picture to signify one object inside • Confusion on why other object • Could NOT use picture as symbol • No difference in reaching times between Switch and No Switch • Doesn’t use picture as information at all • No expectations • At chance

  17. Further Directions • Specific/generic? • Older/younger? • Within same kind? • Any ideas from you?

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