Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Literalism in the young child’s interpretation of pictures

  • Articles
  • Published:
ECTJ Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This article describes four studies concerned with the young child’s response to the illusion of incompleteness in pictures. A substantial proportion of the children, aged 4 to 7 years, responded as if an element “out of sight” in a picture either did not exist or was incomplete. This mode of responding, termed “literalism,” was found to be related to age and proved to be little influenced by training and one other form of structured experience.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Reference Note

  • Higgins, L. C.The picture interpretation behaviour of preschool and junior primary school children. Report presented to the Education Research and Development Committee, Commonwealth Department of Education, Canberra, Australia, 1977.

    Google Scholar 

References

  • Congalton, A. A.Status and prestige in Australia. Melbourne: Cheshire, 1969.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elkind, D., & Flavell, J. H. (Eds.).Studies in cognitive development: Essays in honor of Jean Piaget. New York: Oxford University Press, 1969.

    Google Scholar 

  • Furth, H. G.Piaget and knowledge: Theoretical foundations. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1969.

    Google Scholar 

  • McNemar, A.Psychological statistics (4th ed.). New York: Wiley, 1969.

    Google Scholar 

  • Piaget, J.The psychology of intelligence (M. Peircy & D. E. Berlyne, trans.). London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1950.

    Google Scholar 

  • Piaget, J. & Inhelder, Barbel.The psychology of the child (Helen Weaver, trans.). London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1969.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sears, P. S. (Ed.).Intellectual development. New York: Wiley, 1971.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vurpillot, E.The visual world of the child (W. E. C. Gillham, trans.). London: George Allen & Unwin, 1976.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sydney Teachers College, Camperdaum 2050, P.O. Box 63, N.S.W., Australia

    Leslie C. Higgins (Principal Lecturer in the Department of Education)

Authors
  1. Leslie C. Higgins
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

The work reported in this article was funded by a grant from the Education Research and Development Committee, Commonwealth Department of Education, Canberra, Australia. The author acknowledges with gratitude the assistance of Ann Ring, June Sleet, and Janette Muir in the execution of these studies.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Higgins, L.C. Literalism in the young child’s interpretation of pictures. ECTJ 28, 99–119 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02766403

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02766403

Keywords

Search

Navigation