ERIC Number: EJ915649
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011-Apr
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-0965
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Thinking about Representations: The Case of Opaque Contexts
Kamawar, Deepthi; Olson, David R.
Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, v108 n4 p734-746 Apr 2011
To address the question of whether young children are differentially sensitive to referential opacity, an advanced Theory of Mind skill, we assessed 4-, 6-, and 8-year-olds on three types of opaque contexts: epistemic, quotational, and intentional. Children's performance improved as a function of age and varied significantly by opacity type. Performance was best for epistemic opacity (using the verb "know") and poorest for intentional opacity (using "mean to"), with quotational opacity (using "said") falling in-between. Importantly, the current results suggest that children's sensitivity to referential opacity is not an all-or-nothing competence but rather one that varies across the contexts examined. Possible reasons for this variability are discussed. (Contains 3 tables and 2 figures.)
Descriptors: Form Classes (Languages), Cognitive Development, Children, Evaluation Methods, Age Differences, Context Effect, Child Psychology
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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Author Affiliations: N/A