Preschoolers and Adults Learn From Novel Metaphors.
Psychol Sci
; 34(6): 696-704, 2023 06.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37068125
ABSTRACT
Although adults use metaphors to guide their thinking and reasoning, less is known about whether metaphors might facilitate cognition earlier in development. Previous research shows that preschoolers understand metaphors, but less is known about whether preschoolers can learn from metaphors. The current preregistered experiment investigated whether adults (n = 64) and 3- and 4-year-olds (n = 128) can use metaphors to make new inferences. In a between-subjects design, participants heard information about novel artifacts, conveyed through either only positive metaphors (e.g., "Daxes are suns") or positive and negative metaphors (e.g., "Daxes are suns. Daxes are not clouds."). In both conditions, participants of all ages successfully formed metaphor-consistent inferences about abstract, functional features of the artifacts (e.g., that daxes light up rather than let out water). Moreover, participants frequently provided explanations appealing to the metaphors when justifying their responses. Consequently, metaphors may be a powerful learning mechanism from early childhood onward.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Cognição
/
Metáfora
Limite:
Adult
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Child, preschool
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Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Psychol Sci
Assunto da revista:
PSICOLOGIA
Ano de publicação:
2023
Tipo de documento:
Article