McCormack, Teresa and Hoerl, Christoph. (2008) Temporal decentering and the development of temporal concepts. Language Learning, Vol.58 (Suppl.1). pp. 89-113. ISSN 0023-8333

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Abstract

This article reviews some recent research on the development of temporal cognition, with reference to Weist's (1989) account of the development of temporal understanding. Weist's distinction between two levels of temporal decentering is discussed, and empirical studies that may be interpreted as measuring temporal decentering are described. We argue that if temporal decentering is defined simply in terms of the coordination of the temporal locations of three events, it may fail to fully capture the properties of mature temporal understanding. Characterizing the development of mature temporal cognition may require, in addition, distinguishing between event-dependent and event-independent thought about time. Experimental evidence relevant to such a distinction is described; these findings suggest that there may be important changes between 3 and 5 years in children's ability to think about points in time independently of the events that occur at those times.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Divisions:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Philosophy
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Time perception in children
Journal or Publication Title:	Language Learning
Publisher:	Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, Inc.
ISSN:	0023-8333
Date:	December 2008
Volume:	Vol.58
Number:	Suppl.1
Number of Pages:	25
Page Range:	pp. 89-113
Identification Number:	10.1111/j.1467-9922.2008.00464.x
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Publication Status:	Published
Access rights to Published version:	Restricted or Subscription Access
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URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/28970

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