Producción y uso de notaciones y su relación con el conocimiento de los estados mentales en niños de 3 a 6 años

Abstract

The thesis focuses en the study of the production and use of notations and their relationship with the mental states knowledge in preschooler children. The first part of the thesis is the theoretical framework which suggests that children develop a great deal of knowledge about external representations before they are formally taught to read or write. In the other hand, research on theory of mind suggests the knowledge of mental states by 4 year old children. This knowledge is determinant in their relationships in the way that it will provide them not only the ability to communicate to others but to adapt a notational message in the way that other person could decode it effectively. The second part of the thesis shows the results of the two experimental studies that were carried out with Mexican children (3-, 4-, 5-, 6- year-olds). In the first study, 240 children passed the false belief task and the notational task. Results showed a relationship between ones and others mental states and the ability to produce communicative notations at 4;6 years old. In the second study, 270 children (3-, 4-, 5 year-olds) not only produced a notation but communicated orally a message. Results suggested a developmental trend in both symbolic systems (oral/notational), but oral messages were better in 3 year old children while notations were more functional in 5 year old children. Finally, in the last chapters of the thesis, we discuss the results and we mention the main conclusions."