The Development of Event Representation as Revealed through Action Production
Date
1992
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Haverford College. Department of Psychology
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Award
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eng
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Haverford users only
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Abstract
This study examines differences in event representation between younger and older preschool children, and college-aged adults. Performance of four simple action sequences, two novel and two familiar, were observed as indicators of these cognitive event structures. Manipulations of the testing condition, either of the spatial arrangement of props, or the number and type of props presented, attempted to induce behavioral differences. Unique patterns of the quantity of simple actions, functional variations, errors, and micro-slips produced, and time taken to complete each task, as a function of age-grouping suggests that these are valid indicators of developmental differences in event representation. The most interesting results reveal conditions when the measured behavior of younger children appears more like adults, and older children behave distinctly. We hypothesize that these older children possess more flexible event representation, and apply these in a more creative fashion, unlike the younger children and adults. Future research which eliminates the effect of the laboratory setting on adults' behavior would best serve to understand the patterns of results in this study.