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Updated: Jul 30, 2026
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Experience is Instrumental in Tuning a Link Between Language and Cognition: Evidence from 6- to 7- Month-Old Infants' Object Categorization
Published on: April 19, 2017
Knowledge and the child's developing theory of the world.
1Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park 16802.
Advances in Child Development and Behavior
|January 1, 1989
Summary
Children
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Philosophy of Knowledge
Background:
- Children's capacity for metaphor comprehension and production evolves with age.
- This development is linked to a broader cognitive growth rather than a specific metaphoric ability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the relationship between a child's developing theory of the world and their ability to understand and use metaphors.
- To examine the philosophical underpinnings of knowledge and its implications for cognitive development theories.
Main Methods:
- Historical review of research on children's metaphor development.
- Philosophical analysis of knowledge theories (justificationalist and nonjustificationalist).
- Discussion of implications for cognitive and developmental psychology.
Main Results:
- Metaphorical competence is not an isolated skill but emerges from an expanding knowledge base and a developing theory of the world.
- Philosophical debates on the nature of knowledge highlight complexities relevant to psychological theories.
Conclusions:
- Children's metaphor skills are a reflection of their overall cognitive development and world knowledge.
- Psychologists should consider philosophical perspectives on knowledge when constructing developmental theories.
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