The beginnings of representational play were examined in 16 visually impaired children (18-38 months). Nine children demonstrated some symbolic acts at a mean age significantly earlier than the literature suggests. Presence of symbolic acts was significantly related to use of the word "no," two-word combinations, and general sensorimotor skills.…

An approach to cognitive development which builds upon Piagetian assumptions and methods but which takes into account specific characteristics of diverse symbol systems and media is outlined. Such an approach may account for several phenomena left unexplained by Piaget, integrate diverse strands of research, and suggest promising lines of…

Three experiments examined the relation between language acquisition and other symbolic abilities in 18- and 26-month-olds. Found that 18-month-olds spontaneously interpreted gestures, like words, as names for object categories. At 26 months, they spontaneously interpreted words as names and novel gestures as names only when given additional…

Discusses the findings of a recent study concerning the ability of an infant to see an object as a symbol. Reports that infants between 36 and 39 months old significantly outperformed informed infants between 30 and 32 months old on a symbolic task. (TW)

Reports on a study in which the symbolic relation between a scale model and the larger space that it represents was displayed by two groups of young children. Three-year-old children outperformed 2.5-year-olds in finding an object in a room after seeing an analogous object hidden in a model. (TW)

Discusses development of symbolic thinking in toddlers as a step in language acquisition and skill development. Examines means of encouraging this symbolic problem solving, such as setting the stage for problems, helping children plan problem-solving strategies, and encouraging children in self-evaluating their skills. Examines development of…

Children show less evidence of nominal realism (treating the name and its object as the same) after participating in an arbitrary naming task, but older children do not show as much development away from nominal realism as Piaget postulated. (RL)

Explores the relations among combinatorial capacities in language, symbolic play, blockbuilding, and nonsemantic action sequences within a sample of 18- to 24-month-old children, as well as assessing the developmental level of a selected subset of concepts. (HOD)

This paper examines the interrelationship between children's acquisition and use of symbols and the development of imaginative play. The paper focuses on the use of pretend play as an expression of the child's capacity for symbolic functioning and as an index of intellectual development. The first section of the paper reviews developmental changes…

This second article in a series on children's artistic learning reviews the developmental process of symbolization and symbol representation by young children and analyzes the symbolism in works by three boys. Practical teaching considerations are discussed. For part one of this series, see the September, 1980 issue of this journal. (SJL)

Discusses the four metaphoric modes of thinking (as opposed to analytic modes). These modes persist at all stages of cognitive maturity, yet there is a diminishing use of these modes, except symbolic abstract, in the schools as one goes up through the cognitive stages. (Author/IRT)

The relationship between symbolic play and early language was studied in 40 girls and 39 boys between 12 and 24 months of age. Subjects were individually tested during two or three sessions by a female experimenter in a day care center in Jyvaskyla, Finland. Children's symbolic play level was assessed according to a developmental structure of five…

This collection of conference abstracts focuses on new directions for research on mental representation and early language development. One page summaries are provided on the following topics: Mental Representation and Initial Language Learning, by Lorraine M. Nicolich; Critical Issues in Language and Cognitive Development, by Roberta Corrigan;…

Proposes that cognitive developmental stages can be accounted for in terms of information processing factors which limit the highest level of cognitive system which children can attain at any given age. Delineates four progressively more complex levels of cognitive mediation of the environment. Two experiments which support the developmental model…

This theme issue explores the development of memory and creativity in very young children. The first article, "The Guy Who Went Up the Steep Nicken: The Emergence of Story Telling during the First Three Years" (Susan Engel), describes the developmental stages of children's story telling. The reasons children tell stories and strategies for…