Project Details
Projekt
Modal and Amodal Representations Across Development
Applicants
Dr. Donna Bryce; Professorin Dr. Claudia Friedrich
Subject Area
Developmental and Educational Psychology
Term
since 2020
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 381713393
The present project investigates representations along the modal-to-amodal continuum from an ontogenetic perspective. The developing system might generate and exploit more modal or more amodal representations, respectively, for different purposes and at different points in time. In the developmental literature, two trajectories are often outlined regarding when and how amodal representations emerge. Consistent with classical views, amodal representations may emerge following a process of abstraction from modal representations. Alternatively, rudimentary amodal representations which structure modal representations of new experiences may be available very early in development or emerge very quickly. Throughout childhood, we will investigate the evidence for these two trajectories and the relative dominance of one or the other type of representation across development within three domains of cognition – sensorimotor-language interactions, magnitude estimation, and executive control processes. Within each domain, the developmental stages and contexts under which each type of representational format is available and used, as well as its function, will be assessed. Therewith, this project will improve our understanding of how and when different representational formats become available and are used.
DFG Programme
Research Units
