Blending out of the background: Play, props and staging in the material world

Abstract

The focus in blending theory on the dynamics of meaning construction makes it a productive tool for analysing psychological processes in a developmental perspective. However, blending theory has largely preserved the traditionally mentalist and individualist assumptions of classical cognitive science. This article argues for an extension of the range of both theory and data, to encompass the socially collaborative, culturally and materially grounded nature of the human mind. An approach to young children's symbolic play in terms of conceptual blending is presented, together with an analysis of an episode of sociodramatic play which highlights the role of cultural material objects as crucial meaning-bearing elements in the blend. From a developmental perspective, conceptual blending can be viewed as a microgenetic process, in which not only cognitive strategies, but social roles, relationships and identities are negotiated by participants in social and communicative interactions.