scholarly journals Developmental changes in children's comprehension and explanation of spatial metaphors for time

2012 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
pp. 1123-1137 ◽  
Author(s):  
LAUREN J. STITES ◽  
ŞEYDA ÖZÇALIŞKAN
Keyword(s):  
Time Sequence ◽  
Developmental Changes ◽  
Early Age ◽  
Abstract Concept ◽  
Spatial Motion ◽  
Metaphor Comprehension ◽  
Spatial Metaphors ◽  
Bodily Experiences

ABSTRACTTime is frequently expressed with spatial motion, using one of three different metaphor types: moving-time, moving-ego, and sequence-as-position. Previous work shows that children can understand and explain moving-time metaphors by age five (Özçalışkan, 2005). In this study, we focus on all three metaphor types for time, and ask whether metaphor type has an effect on children's metaphor comprehension and explanation abilities. Analysis of the responses of three- to six-year-old children and adults showed that comprehension and explanation of all three metaphor types emerge at an early age. Moreover, children's metaphor comprehension and explanation vary by metaphor type: children perform better in understanding and explaining metaphors that structure time in relation to the observer of time (moving-ego, moving-time) than metaphors that structure time without any relation to the observer of time (sequence-as-position-on-a-path). Our findings suggest that children's bodily experiences might play a role in their developing understanding of the abstract concept of time.

Weight as an Embodiment of Importance

2009 ◽  
Vol 20 (9) ◽  
pp. 1169-1174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nils B. Jostmann ◽  
Daniël Lakens ◽  
Thomas W. Schubert
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Cognitive Effort ◽  
Abstract Concept ◽  
Physical Effort ◽  
Monetary Value ◽  
Concrete Objects ◽  
Bodily Experiences ◽  
Important Study

Four studies show that the abstract concept of importance is grounded in bodily experiences of weight. Participants provided judgments of importance while they held either a heavy or a light clipboard. Holding a heavy clipboard increased judgments of monetary value (Study 1) and made participants consider fair decision-making procedures to be more important (Study 2). It also caused more elaborate thinking, as indicated by higher consistency between related judgments (Study 3) and by greater polarization of agreement ratings for strong versus weak arguments (Study 4). In line with an embodied perspective on cognition, these findings suggest that, much as weight makes people invest more physical effort in dealing with concrete objects, it also makes people invest more cognitive effort in dealing with abstract issues.

scholarly journals Developmental differences in children’s and adults’ use of geometric information in map-reading tasks

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. e0243845
Author(s):  
Yenny Otálora ◽  
Hernando Taborda-Osorio
Keyword(s):  
Euclidean Geometry ◽  
Developmental Differences ◽  
Developmental Changes ◽  
Early Age ◽  
Geometric Information ◽  
Vector Length ◽  
Map Reading ◽  
Completion Task ◽  
Object Relationships

Using maps effectively requires the ability to scale distances while preserving angle and orientation, the three properties of Euclidean geometry. The aim of the current study was twofold: first, to examine how the ability to represent and use these Euclidean properties changes with development when scaling maps in object-to-object relationships and, second, to explore the effects on the scaling performance of two variables of the array of objects, type of angular configuration and relative vector length. To this end, we tested seventy-five 4-, 6-, and 8-year-old children, as well as twenty-five adults, in a simple completion task with different linear and triangular configurations of objects. This study revealed important developmental changes between 4 and 6 years of age and between 8 years of age and adulthood for both distance and angle representation, while it also showed that the configuration variables affected younger and older children’s performances in different ways when scaling distances and preserving angles and orientation. This study was instrumental in showing that, from an early age, children are able to exploit an intrinsic system of reference to scale geometrical configurations of objects.

Segmental production in Mandarin-learning infants

2009 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 341-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
LI-MEI CHEN ◽  
RAYMOND D. KENT
Keyword(s):  
Early Development ◽  
Developmental Changes ◽  
Early Age ◽  
Vowel Production ◽  
Specific Effects ◽  
Early Appearance ◽  
Ambient Language ◽  
Adult Model ◽  
High Vowels ◽  
First Words

ABSTRACTThe early development of vocalic and consonantal production in Mandarin-learning infants was studied at the transition from babbling to producing first words. Spontaneous vocalizations were recorded for 24 infants grouped by age: G1 (0 ; 7 to 1 ; 0) and G2 (1 ; 1 to 1 ; 6). Additionally, the infant-directed speech of 24 caregivers was recorded during natural infant–adult interactions to infer language-specific effects. Data were phonetically transcribed according to broad categories of vowels and consonants. Vocalic development, in comparison with reports for children of other linguistic environments, exhibited two universal patterns: the prominence of [ɛ] and [ə], and the predominance of low and mid vowels over high vowels. Language-specific patterns were also found, e.g. the early appearance and acquisition of low vowels [ɑ]. Vowel production was similar in G1 and G2, and a continuum of developmental changes brought infants' vocalization closer to the adult model. Consonantal development showed two universal patterns: labials and alveolars occurred more frequently than velars; and nasals developed earlier than fricatives, affricates and liquids. We also found two language-specific patterns: alveolars were more prominent than labials and affricates developed early. Universal and language-specific characteristics in G1 continued to be prominent in G2. These data indicate that infants are sensitive to the ambient language at an early age, and this sensitivity influences the nature of their vocalizations.

Spherulitic crystal growth in the prodissoconch larval of Crassostrea virginica

1983 ◽  
Vol 41 ◽  
pp. 518-519
Author(s):  
George G. Cocks ◽  
Louis Leibovitz ◽  
DoSuk D. Lee
Keyword(s):  
Crystal Structure ◽  
Crassostrea Virginica ◽  
Crystal Orientation ◽  
Developmental Changes ◽  
Gastrula Stage ◽  
Orthorhombic Crystal ◽  
Orthorhombic Crystal Structure ◽  
Stages Of Growth ◽  
Early Stages ◽  
Initial Deposition

Our understanding of the structure and the formation of inorganic minerals in the bivalve shells has been considerably advanced by the use of electron microscope. However, very little is known about the ultrastructure of valves in the larval stage of the oysters. The present study examines the developmental changes which occur between the time of conception to the early stages of Dissoconch in the Crassostrea virginica(Gmelin), focusing on the initial deposition of inorganic crystals by the oysters.The spawning was induced by elevating the temperature of the seawater where the adult oysters were conditioned. The eggs and sperm were collected separately, then immediately mixed for the fertilizations to occur. Fertilized animals were kept in the incubator where various stages of development were stopped and observed. The detailed analysis of the early stages of growth showed that CaCO3 crystals(aragonite), with orthorhombic crystal structure, are deposited as early as gastrula stage(Figuresla-b). The next stage in development, the prodissoconch, revealed that the crystal orientation is in the form of spherulites.

Dynamic Scanning Electron Microscopy of Small Particles

1975 ◽  
Vol 33 ◽  
pp. 280-281
Author(s):  
W. Krakow ◽  
W. C. Nixon
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Low Noise ◽  
Time Sequence ◽  
Field Of View ◽  
Video Tape ◽  
Small Particles ◽  
Polystyrene Spheres ◽  
Field Distributions ◽  
Dynamic Scanning ◽  
Scanning Electron

The scanning electron microscope (SEM) can be run at television scanning rates and used with a video tape recorder to observe dynamic specimen changes. With a conventional tungsten source, a low noise TV image is obtained with a field of view sufficient to cover the area of the specimen to be recorded. Contrast and resolution considerations have been elucidated and many changing specimens have been studied at TV rates.To extend the work on measuring the magnitude of charge and field distributions of small particles in the SEM, we have investigated their motion and electrostatic interaction at TV rates. Fig. 1 shows a time sequence of polystyrene spheres on a conducting grating surface inclined to the microscope axis. In (la) there are four particles present in the field of view, while in (lb) a fifth particle has moved into view.

A Community Based High Risk Register for Hearing Loss

1982 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 373-375 ◽  
Author(s):  
James L. Fitch ◽  
Thomas F. Williams ◽  
Josephine E. Etienne
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
System Identification ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Education Program ◽  
Communication System ◽  
Auditory Signal ◽  
Early Age ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Children With Hearing Loss

The critical need to identify children with hearing loss and provide treatment at the earliest possible age has become increasingly apparent in recent years (Northern & Downs, 1978). Reduction of the auditory signal during the critical language-learning period can severely limit the child's potential for developing a complete, effective communication system. Identification and treatment of children having handicapping conditions at an early age has gained impetus through the Handicapped Children's Early Education Program (HCEEP) projects funded by the Bureau of Education for the Handicapped (BEH).

Self-Prioritization Beyond Perception

2015 ◽  
Vol 62 (6) ◽  
pp. 415-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Schäfer ◽  
Dirk Wentura ◽  
Christian Frings
Keyword(s):  
The Self ◽  
Stimulus Category ◽  
Abstract Concept ◽  
Conceptual Level ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Stimulus Features ◽  
Relevant Word ◽  
Word Shape

Abstract. Recently, Sui, He, and Humphreys (2012) introduced a new paradigm to measure perceptual self-prioritization processes. It seems that arbitrarily tagging shapes to self-relevant words (I, my, me, and so on) leads to speeded verification times when matching self-relevant word shape pairings (e.g., me – triangle) as compared to non-self-relevant word shape pairings (e.g., stranger – circle). In order to analyze the level at which self-prioritization takes place we analyzed whether the self-prioritization effect is due to a tagging of the self-relevant label and the particular associated shape or due to a tagging of the self with an abstract concept. In two experiments participants showed standard self-prioritization effects with varying stimulus features or different exemplars of a particular stimulus-category suggesting that self-prioritization also works at a conceptual level.

Moving Forward

2011 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 225-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet B. Ruscher
Keyword(s):  
Everyday Life ◽  
Interpersonal Communication ◽  
Spatial Metaphors ◽  
The People ◽  
Stationary Objects ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
Affective Forecasts

Two distinct spatial metaphors for the passage of time can produce disparate judgments about grieving. Under the object-moving metaphor, time seems to move past stationary people, like objects floating past people along a riverbank. Under the people-moving metaphor, time is stationary; people move through time as though they journey on a one-way street, past stationary objects. The people-moving metaphor should encourage the forecast of shorter grieving periods relative to the object-moving metaphor. In the present study, participants either received an object-moving or people-moving prime, then read a brief vignette about a mother whose young son died. Participants made affective forecasts about the mother’s grief intensity and duration, and provided open-ended inferences regarding a return to relative normalcy. Findings support predictions, and are discussed with respect to interpersonal communication and everyday life.

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