Pictures can represent more than one entity, and they can also represent literal or nonliteral concepts associated with a referent. In two studies, we examined whether 4-year-olds, 6-year-olds, and adults can view pictures as both literal and nonliteral when they are presented with different contextual cues, which would indicate representational flexibility. In Study 1, children and adults were asked to name iconic pictures after hearing a story explaining how a fictional character had created or used a picture in, for instance, a literal context (e.g., a girl used a picture of a crown to represent what she wanted for Christmas) and a second story on how the same artist produced or used an identical picture in a nonliteral context (e.g., the same girl used the picture of a crown to represent what she wanted to be when she grew up). After each story, the picture was shown and participants were asked “What does this mean?” The 6-year-olds and adults, but not the 4-year-olds, showed representational flexibility in their interpretations of pictures across contexts. Study 2 provided evidence of flexible pictorial interpretations, even for the younger age group, when children were presented with a game in which they were asked to select a suitable picture to represent a nonliteral referent. Taken together, our results suggest that the conditions under which representational flexibility is elicited influence the developmental progression observed.

图片可以表示多个实体，也可以表示与所指对象相关的文字或非文字概念。在两项研究中，我们检查了 4 岁儿童、6 岁儿童和成人在呈现不同的上下文线索时是否可以将图片视为文字和非文字，这表明表示的灵活性。在研究 1 中，儿童和成人在听完一个故事后被要求命名标志性图片，该故事解释了虚构人物如何在文字背景下创作或使用图片（例如，一个女孩使用皇冠图片来代表什么她想要圣诞节）和第二个故事，讲述同一位艺术家如何在非文字背景下制作或使用相同的图片（例如，同一个女孩使用皇冠图片来代表她长大后想成为的样子）。在每个故事之后，展示图片并询问参与者“这是什么意思？” 6 岁的孩子和成年人，但不是 4 岁的孩子，他们在跨上下文解释图片时表现出代表性的灵活性。研究 2 提供了灵活的图片解释的证据，即使对于年龄较小的群体，当儿童被要求选择合适的图片来代表非文字指涉的游戏时。总之，我们的结果表明，引起表征灵活性的条件会影响观察到的发展进程。研究 2 提供了灵活的图片解释的证据，即使对于年龄较小的群体，当儿童被要求选择合适的图片来代表非文字指涉的游戏时。总之，我们的结果表明，引起表征灵活性的条件会影响观察到的发展进程。研究 2 提供了灵活的图片解释的证据，即使对于年龄较小的群体，当儿童被要求选择合适的图片来代表非文字指涉的游戏时。总之，我们的结果表明，引起表征灵活性的条件会影响观察到的发展进程。