The Effectiveness of Multi-sample Training for Children Aged 4 to 7 by Establishing Relational Frame on Metaphors

Abstract

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of enhancing the ability to comprehend metaphors for children aged 4 to 7 by multi-sample training. 56 children trained by using the multi-sample training and by composing our own metaphor stories and questions according to the Relational Framing Theory are tested. The result shows that the ability to comprehend metaphors for children aged 4 to 7 increases with their age, and there are significant differences between children belonging to each age group in their ability to comprehend metaphors. The effect shows significant difference between each experimental stage. The correctness of the children's answers can be significantly influenced by their retelling ability, familiarity of context, and understanding of vocabularies. Familiarity of context might have a bigger impact on their ability to comprehend metaphors than understanding of vocabularies. The conclusion is that the ability of children to establish the relationship between tenor and vehicle in a metaphor is influenced by factors such as familiarity of context and understanding of vocabularies. Multi-sample training is effective in enhancing children's ability to comprehend metaphor by helping children to distinguish relationships such as correlation and distinctiveness. Multi-sample training can be further applied to reasoning of metaphors not yet learned by children.

Key words: multi-sample training, children, metaphor, Relational Framing Theory

摘要： 旨在考察多范例训练提高4-7岁儿童隐喻理解能力的有效性。根据关系框架理论，自行编制隐喻故事及隐喻问题，使用多范例训练方法，对56名儿童进行训练，并检验。结果发现：4-7岁儿童隐喻理解能力随年龄增长而提高，各年龄组间对隐喻的理解能力具有显著差异；各实验阶段差异显著；回答正误受到能否复述、语境熟悉程度、词汇理解程度显著影响，语境熟悉程度对隐喻理解的影响力可能比词汇理解程度更大。结论：语境熟悉程度、词汇理解能力等因素影响儿童在隐喻的本体与喻体之间建立联系，而通过多范例训练的方式，帮助儿童辨识其相关性及区别性关系，从而提高对隐喻的理解能力是有效的。并且，可以泛化到未经学习的隐喻推理中。

关键词: 多范例训练, 儿童, 隐喻, 关系框架理论

CLC Number:

B844.1

MAO Xiaoling, WANG Fenfen, CAO Jing, ZHU Zhuohong. The Effectiveness of Multi-sample Training for Children Aged 4 to 7 by Establishing Relational Frame on Metaphors[J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2017, 15(5): 675-682.

毛晓翎, 王分分, 曹静, 祝卓宏. 多范例训练提升儿童隐喻理解能力的干预性研究[J]. 心理与行为研究, 2017, 15(5): 675-682.

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