title: Object-related knowledge and the production of gestures with imagined objects by preschool children.
abstract: Previous research suggests that the gestural representation of preschool age children has a symbolic quality in the absence of real objects. It has shown a developmental progression from use of concrete body parts to more abstract imaginary-object gestural representations during the preschool years. The present study examined whether object-related knowledge is involved in the production of imaginary-object gestures. 35 children (12 3-, 11 4-, and 12 5-yr.-olds) performed gestural tasks in which they were asked to pretend to use common objects, e.g., "pretend to brush your teeth with a toothbrush." In addition, they were asked to describe the relationship between the performed gesture and object when they were pretending. Analysis indicated that, when an imaginary-object gesture was performed, it was through an evoked prior knowledge of the function and context of the use of objects. This may suggest that object-related knowledge is a key factor involved in developmental changes from body part to imaginary-object gestures and that it is involved in freeing preschool children from object substitution, which is prescribed by perceptual support.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Development and Disabilities, Faculty of Education, Tohoku University, Kawauchi, Sendai, Japan. mizutaka@mail.cc.tohoku.ac.jp
authors.forename: Takasfii
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mizuguchi
authors.forename: Kuniaki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sugai
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D005868:Gestures; D006801:Humans; D007092:Imagination; D008297:Male; D009769:Object Attachment