Children's understanding of linguistic reference to past and future

Abstract

Young children's comprehension of linguistic reference to past and future times was investigated in two experiments. The children were 2, 3, and 4 years old. The linguistic forms considered were verb tense and the termsbefore andafter; each linguistic form was used in both experiments. The two experimental contexts were (1) actions which either had just occurred or were just about to occur, immediate past and future, and (2) events which either had occurred on the preceding day or were to occur on the following day, more remote past and future. Understanding of linguistic reference to past and future events varied, depending on the situation in which the particular form was applied. Future verb tense was better understood in reference to immediate than to more remote future. Past tense was understood equally well in reference to immediate past action and to more remote past events.Before andafter, both of which would be used to refer to either past or future time, were each better understood when used to refer to the next event or action following the present.