Stratégies cognitives dans la description des configurations spatiales
Institution:
Paris 5Disciplines:
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Abstract EN:
De nombreux travaux ont montre que les individus utilisent des strategies discursives privilegiees pour decrire des configurations spatiales. Un des objectifs du present travail a ete de mettre en evidence que la structure de l'objet a decrire place des contraintes sur l'ordre dans lequel ses differentes parties sont introduites dans la description. Un autre objectif a ete d'examiner les processus impliques dans la description d'images mentales d'objets. Les sujets devaient decrire les configurationse qui leur etaient presnetees (condition perceptive), pui en condition imaginative. Des strategies descriptives similaires sont utilisees pour decrire les configurations et les images de ces confugurations. La charge cognitive associee a la mise en place de ces strategies apparait a travers les latences des temps de reponse, tant en perception qu'en imagerie. Cependant, ces latences varient en fonction des caracteristiques individuelles des sujets en matiere d'imagerie mentale. L'etude des conditions d'apparition des strategies descriptives preferentielles a ete completee par une approche developpementale. Les resultats issus de cette approche ne permettent pas de conclure a une evolution systematique de la mise en place des strategies discursives de 6 a 10 ans. Cependant, des l'age de 8 ans, les enfants utilisent des strategies semblables pour decrire des objets et les images de ces objets.
Abstract FR:
Several research have shown that speakers use dominant strategies to describe spatial networks. The first aim of the present study was to examine to what extent the structure of an object places constraints on the order in which its parts are entered into a description. The aim of the second part of the experiment was to evidence similarities between the strategies used to describe objects and those used to describe visual images of objects. Subjects (adults) were first involved ina perceptual condition, where they had to describe visually presented networks, and then in the imaginal condition (two weeks later). The results reveal that the structure of descriptions are similar for perceptual and imagined networks. In both conditions, increasing the complexity of networks resulted in increase latencies. Nevertheless, latencies differ as a function of individual differences in imagery abilities. The use of dominant strategies to describe spatial networks have only been evidenced in adult production. A second study was designed to explore the development of cognitive processes involved in the description of spatial networks by children aged 6 to 10. The findings evidence that the dominant strategies which characterize adult production do not develop in consistent way. The strategies used by children aged 8 to 10 to describe mental images are similar to those used to describe perceptual networks.