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Recognition of iconicity doesn't come for free
1Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA. Lnamy@emory.edu
Developmental Science
|December 3, 2008
Summary
Infants do not initially use iconic gestures, which resemble their referents, to aid early symbol development. The ability to recognize this resemblance emerges later in the second year of life.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Cognitive Science
- Linguistics
Background:
- Iconicity, the resemblance between a symbol and its referent, is often assumed to aid early symbolic development in infants.
- Understanding the role of iconicity in the onset of symbolic insight and language acquisition is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate infants' ability to recognize iconic gestures between 14 and 26 months of age.
- To determine if iconicity aids the onset of symbolic development in early infancy.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments were conducted to assess infants' recognition of iconic gestures.
- Participants ranged in age from 14 to 26 months.
Main Results:
- Infants demonstrated a clear ability to recognize the resemblance between gestures and their referents by 26 months of age.
- Little evidence was found for the recognition of iconicity at the earliest stages of symbolic development (around 14 months).
Conclusions:
- Iconicity does not appear to be an available tool at the very beginning of symbolic development.
- The capacity to understand the relationship between a symbol (gesture) and its referent develops gradually throughout the second year of life.
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