Grasping the Meaning of Metaphor: Story Recall and Comprehension

Abstract

WAGGONER, JOHN E.; MESSE, MIRIAM J.; and PALERMO, DAVID S. Grasping the Meaning of Metaphor: Story Recall and Comprehension. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1985, 56, 1156-1166. Children's ability to recall and explain the meanings of metaphors was investigated. Metaphors were embedded in stories at the Reaction or Outcome positions using a story grammar structural form. Recall of metaphors was equal to recall of literal statements with comparable meanings by 7-, 9-, and 11-yearold children. Recall was better if the statements were in the Outcome node of the story than it was if they were in the Reaction node. Probes for the meaning of the metaphors, however, revealed equal comprehension of metaphors in both positions. Metaphors had no differential effect on recall of subsequent parts of the story. The results are discussed in terms of the relations between context and the construction of meaning for both literal and figurative language.