Abstract

This experiment tested whether children's insight into a difficult symbolic relation could be increased by explicitly emphasizing the intentionality surrounding the artifact's creation and use. Specifically, I explicitly emphasized (a) the adult's intent to communicate information via the artifact and (b) the artifact's intentional origins and intended function. Both 36- and 30-month-olds showed significantly higher levels of insight compared to a control condition. The results suggest that by their 3rd year, children's sensitivity to intentionality can contribute to their symbolic understanding and development.

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