When a picture is not worth a thousand words: Young children's understanding of pictures and models

Abstract One of the most important developmental tasks for the first few years of life is to begin to master a variety of symbolic systems. Our research on early symbolic functioning indicates that young children often fail to appreciate the relation between a symbol and what it represents, even with highly realistic and iconic symbols such as photographs and scale models. We discuss four concepts that have emerged from our research in this area and summarize evidence showing their importance for early symbolization.