Yuan Lei, Uttal David, Gentner Dedre
Department of Psychology, Northwestern University.
Dev Psychol. 2017 Jun;53(6):1098-1114. doi: 10.1037/dev0000302. Epub 2017 Mar 30.
We propose that map reading can be construed as a form of analogical mapping. We tested 2 predictions that follow from this claim: First, young children's patterns of performance in map reading tasks should parallel those found in analogical mapping tasks; and, second, children will benefit from instructions that help them see the relational correspondences between the map and the space. In 4 experiments, 3-year-olds completed a map reading task in which they were asked to find hidden objects in a miniature room, using a corresponding map. We manipulated the availability of guided alignment (showing children the analogical mapping between maps and spaces; Experiments 1, 2, and 3a), the format of guided alignment (gesture or relational language; Experiment 2), and the iconicity of maps (Experiments 3a and 3b). We found that (a) young children's difficulties in map reading follow from known patterns of analogical development-for example, focusing on object similarity over relational similarity; and (b) guided alignment based on analogical reasoning led to substantially better performance. Results also indicated that children's map reading performance was affected by the format of guided alignment, the iconicity of the maps, and the order of tasks. The results bear on the developmental mechanisms underlying young children's learning of spatial representations and also suggest ways to support this learning. (PsycINFO Database Record
我们认为地图阅读可被理解为一种类比映射形式。我们检验了基于这一观点得出的两个预测：第一，幼儿在地图阅读任务中的表现模式应与类比映射任务中的表现模式相似；第二，儿童将从有助于他们看清地图与空间之间关系对应的指导中受益。在4项实验中，3岁儿童完成了一项地图阅读任务，即使用相应地图在一个微型房间里寻找隐藏物体。我们操纵了引导对齐的可用性（向儿童展示地图与空间之间的类比映射；实验1、2和3a）、引导对齐的形式（手势或关系性语言；实验2）以及地图的象似性（实验3a和3b）。我们发现：（a）幼儿在地图阅读中的困难源于类比发展的已知模式——例如，更关注物体相似性而非关系相似性；（b）基于类比推理的引导对齐导致表现大幅提升。结果还表明，儿童的地图阅读表现受引导对齐的形式、地图的象似性以及任务顺序的影响。这些结果与幼儿学习空间表征的发展机制相关，也为支持这种学习提供了方法。（《心理学文摘数据库记录》 ）
