Two-year-olds' understanding of self-symbols

• Published in: British journal of developmental psychology 2014-09, Vol.32 (3), p.262-275
• Main Authors: Herold, Katherine, Akhtar, Nameera
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Body Image - psychology; Child; Child development; Child Development - physiology; Child, Preschool; Children; Comprehension - physiology; Developmental psychology; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Group dynamics; Human Body; Humans; Male; parent-child conversations; Parent-Child Relations; Parents; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Self Concept; symbolic development; Symbols
• ISSN: 0261-510X; 2044-835X
• DOI: 10.1111/bjdp.12037

This study investigated 48 2.5‐year‐olds’ ability to map from their own body to a two‐dimensional self‐representation and also examined relations between parents’ talk about body representations and their children's understanding of self‐symbols. Children participated in two dual‐representation tasks in which they were asked to match body parts between a symbol and its referent. In one task, they used a self‐symbol and in the other they used a symbol for a doll. Participants were also read a book about body parts by a parent. As a group, children found the self‐symbol task more difficult than the doll‐task; however, those whose parents explicitly pointed out the relation between their children's bodies and the symbols in the book performed better on the self‐symbol task. The findings demonstrate that 2‐year‐old children have difficulty comprehending a self‐symbol, even when it is two‐dimensional and approximately the same size as them, and suggest that parents’ talk about self‐symbols may facilitate their understanding.