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What does "touch" mean to young children? An empirical study

P Y Hashima1, K Barton, M S Steward

  • 1Department of Applied Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis 95616.

Perceptual and Motor Skills
|December 1, 1988
PubMed

Insights

Preschool children

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Cognitive Science
  • Linguistics

Background:

  • Understanding abstract concepts like 'touch' is crucial for early childhood development.
  • Previous research has explored children's comprehension of concrete terms, but less is known about their grasp of nuanced concepts.
  • Adults' understanding of 'touch' may not accurately reflect preschool children's conceptualizations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how preschool children (aged 4-5) understand and interpret the word 'touch'.
  • To compare children's conceptualization of 'touch' with that of young adults.
  • To identify specific differences in the understanding of 'touch' between these age groups.

Main Methods:

  • A sample of 40 preschool children participated in the study.
  • Participants were shown 24 drawings and asked to describe them and categorize them as depicting 'touch' or 'no touch'.
  • A control group of 20 undergraduates performed the same task and predicted children's performance.

Main Results:

  • Preschool children's understanding of the word 'touch' demonstrated significant differences compared to adults.
  • Children's categorization and descriptions revealed unique interpretations of 'touch' not aligned with adult norms.
  • Adults' predictions of children's performance were not entirely accurate, highlighting a gap in understanding developmental differences.

Conclusions:

  • Preschool children possess a distinct conceptual framework for the word 'touch'.
  • Developmental changes significantly influence the understanding of abstract semantic concepts.
  • Further research is needed to explore the nuances of early word acquisition and conceptual development.

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