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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

Summary

Preschool children

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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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