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Published on: March 1, 2017
Object substitution pretense reflects a general capacity to interpret objects as symbols.
1Department of Cognitive Science, Central European University.
Early symbolic understanding develops through nonlinguistic external representations, like object substitution in pretend play. This capacity to interpret objects as symbols emerges reliably in human ontogeny, supporting early symbolic development.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Linguistics
Background:
- Nonlinguistic external representations link symbols to discourse referents.
- Early pretend play involves object substitution, where one object stands for another.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose that object substitution pretense is a form of external representation.
- To argue for an early and reliable emergence of symbolic interpretation in human ontogeny.
- To offer a more general account of early symbolic understanding.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of empirical evidence from early pretend play studies.
- Comparison of the proposed framework with alternative theories of symbolic development.
Main Results:
- Object substitution pretense can be fully explained as a subspecies of external representation.
- The capacity for symbolic interpretation emerges early in human development.
Conclusions:
- The proposed framework offers a comprehensive account of early symbolic understanding.
- This perspective refines our understanding of nonlinguistic external representations and their role in cognitive development.
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