title: Getting the picture: iconicity does not affect representation-referent confusion.
abstract: Three experiments examined 3- to 5-year-olds' (N = 428) understanding of the relationship between pictorial iconicity (photograph, colored drawing, schematic drawing) and the real world referent. Experiments 1 and 2 explored pictorial iconicity in picture-referent confusion after the picture-object relationship has been established. Pictorial iconicity had no effect on referential confusion when the referent changed after the picture had been taken/drawn (Experiment 1) and when the referent and the picture were different from the outset (Experiment 2). Experiment 3 investigated whether children are sensitive to iconicity to begin with. Children deemed photographs from a choice of varying iconicity representations as best representations for object reference. Together, findings suggest that iconicity plays a role in establishing a picture-object relation per se but is irrelevant once children have accepted that a picture represents an object. The latter finding may reflect domain general representational abilities.
authors.affiliation: University of Plymouth, School of Psychology, Cognition Centre, Plymouth, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Marina C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Wimmer
authors.affiliation: University of Warwick, Department of Psychology, Coventry, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Elizabeth J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.affiliation: University of Plymouth, School of Psychology, Cognition Centre, Plymouth, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Koenig
authors.affiliation: Oxford Brookes University, School of Psychology, Oxford, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Corder
mesh_terms: D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D032882:Comprehension / Q000502:physiology; D003221:Confusion; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D010781:Photography