Concurrent and Longitudinal Relationships Between Development in Graphic, Language and Symbolic Play Domains from the Fourth to the Fifth Year. Issue 3 (27th November 2012)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kirkham, Julie; Stewart, Andrew; Kidd, Evan
• Is Part Of: Infant and child development. Volume 22:Issue 3(2013:May/Jun.)
• Page Start: 297
• Page End: 319
• Publication Date: 2012-11-27
• Subjects: Child development -- Periodicals; Child psychology -- Periodicals; Parenting -- Periodicals; Child rearing -- Periodicals; 155.405
• DOI: 10.1002/icd.1786
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1522-7227

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main"> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <p>This research investigated the developing inter‐relationships between language, graphic symbolism and symbolic play both concurrently and longitudinally from the fourth to the fifth year of childhood. Sixty children (<italic>n</italic> = 60) aged between 3 and 4 years completed multiple assessments of language and assessments of graphic symbolism, symbolic play and non‐verbal intelligence. A year later, 31 children (<italic>n</italic> = 31) were re‐tested using the same assessments. The findings revealed that skills within each symbolic domain were inter‐related during the fourth year, appearing to develop in a domain‐general type fashion based upon a common underlying symbolic mechanism. However, between the fourth and the fifth years, only language had predictive validity, suggesting a shift towards the verbal mediation of symbolic play and graphic symbolism as language becomes progressively internalized (Vygotsky, 1962, 1978). Copyright © 2012 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.</p> </abstract>