L'imitation et l'espace mental dans la genese de la representation chez l'enfant
Institution:
Paris 8Disciplines:
Directors:
Abstract EN:
The study aims at an analysis of the first manifestations of the symbolic function in children throughout their second year by means of the observation of imitation and mental space. According to wallon, imitation, which consists both in modelling oneself on someone and splitting oneself, discloses the very conditions of the genesis of child representation. That advent is possible only if a mental space controlling both language and representation is superposed to the present perceptive space. The first research consists in setting out the successive steps of imitation by observing the spontaneous imitation of ten children from thirteen to thirty-tree months old, watched through a whole year. The purpose is to directly bring about, in a specific way, postponed imitations, the children responding to selected motions and sounds models. The second research consists in deciding at what age children become intuitively aware of a mental space. An experiment is carried out on group of children aged fourteen to thirty-six months, the purpose of which is to foresee the invisible trajectory of an object in steady motion. Through studying the genesis of imitation, the results show the appearance of intermediary forms necessary for the development of a subtle or postponed imitation. The latter can be observed only after an incubation period, a sensori-motor elaboration. What has paved the way for the child's motion is the attitude or the posture observed in thirteen months olds to the standstill reaction or postural elaboration, in which the attitude can be isolated. Therefore, it seems that the postural activity would lead to child representation. Lastly, from fourteen months onwards, children develop a mental space aptitude by foreseeing the successive stages in the motion of an object.
Abstract FR:
L'etude a pour objet l'analyse des premieres manifestations de la fonction symbolique chez l'enfant au cours de la deuxieme annee a travers l'observation de l'imitation et de l'espace mental. Selon wallon, l'imitation, qui est a la fois participation au modele et dedoublement revele les conditions memes de la naissance de la representation. Cet avenement n'est possible que si a l'espace perceptif actuel se superpose un espace mental sous-jacent au langage et a la representation, milieu ou doivent pouvoir etre imaginees des positions et des trajectoires qui sont encore a realiser. La premiere recherche consiste a retracer dans le cadre de l'observation de l'imitation spontanee de dix enfants, observes pendant un an, de treize a trente-trois mois, les etapes successives de l'imitation. Le but est de provoquer directement, de facon specifique l'imitation differee, l'enfant repondant a des modeles gestuels et sonores choisis. La deuxieme recherche consiste a determiner a quel age l'enfant montre une intuition spatiale mentale. Une experience exigeant de prevoir la trajectoire invisible du deplacement regulier d'un objet est realisee sur un groupe d'enfants de quatorze a trente-six mois. Les resultats montrent, par l'etude de la genese de l'imitation, l'apparition de formes intermediaires necessaires a la realisation de l'imitation intelligente ou differee. Celle-ci ne survient qu'apres une periode d'incubation, d'elaboration sensori-motrice. Ce qui a prepare le mouvement, c'est l'attitude ou la posture observee a partir de treize mois dans la reaction d'arret et l'elaboration posturale ou apparait l'isolement de l'attitude. C'est donc l'activite posturale qui menerait a la representation. Enfin a partir de quatorze mois, l'enfant montre une aptitude spatiale mentale par la prevision de l'ordre des deplacements d'un objet.