Is a father a daddy? A developmental study of children's definitions of parental kinship terms.
Item
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Title
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Is a father a daddy? A developmental study of children's definitions of parental kinship terms.
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Identifier
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AAI9218253
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identifier
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9218253
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Creator
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Nelson, Agatha Powell.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Katherine Nelson
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Date
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1992
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Psychology, Developmental | Language, Linguistics | Anthropology, Cultural | Sociology, Individual and Family Studies
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Abstract
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This study explores the effects of developmental, ontological and metalinguistic factors on children's abilities to define words in three different domains--kinship terms, manufactured kind terms and natural kind terms. Within the domain of kinship, it explores possible differences in definitions of terms of address (mommy/daddy) vs terms of reference (mother/father). In the two other domains (manufactured and natural kinds), words which are assumed to be synonyms are compared to determine whether they elicit different representations and therefore different types of definitions.;Sixty-seven children (21 kindergarteners, 26 third-graders and 20 sixth graders) were interviewed on two separate occasions approximately one month apart and asked to define 15 words in the three domains (6 kinship, four manufactured, and 5 natural kinds). The lists of words were alternated so that each subject defined the parental terms of address in one interview and the parental terms of reference. The 'synonyms' were alternated in the same manner.;It was predicted that the kindergartners would produce mainly functional definitions, without the Aristotelian (An X ISA Y) format, regardless of domain or condition, while the older subjects, who would possess greater metalinguistic awareness, as well as the benefit of several years of schooling, would distinguish between terms of address and terms of reference, and would produce a greater proportion of definitions which demonstrated hierarchical organization.;As predicted there was a significant main effect for grade for all measures. There was also a significant wordtype interaction, with the two younger groups producing significantly greater percentages of functional definitions for the manufactured terms than for either the kinship or natural kind terms. There was also an address/reference distinction--the terms of address (daddy/mommy) were more likely to be defined in biological terms than the terms of reference.;The results of this research led to the general conclusion that in addition to age differences in conceptual knowledge, metalinguistic knowledge and the ontology of the word affect children's ability to give verbal definitions.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
