Developmental process of toddlers' block play: An investigation from the perspectives of cognition and social interaction

• Project/Area Number: 25750009
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Home economics/Human life
• Research Institution: Shiga University
• Principal Investigator: HOSOTANI Rika 滋賀大学, 教育学部, 講師 (20634984)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2015)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,290,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥990,000); Fiscal Year 2015: ¥910,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥210,000); Fiscal Year 2014: ¥650,000 (Direct Cost: ¥500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥150,000); Fiscal Year 2013: ¥2,730,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥630,000)
• Keywords: 幼児 / 積み木 / 認知 / 相互作用 / 母子相互作用 / ブロック / 図形 / 視線

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study investigated the developmental process of toddlers’ block play from the perspectives of cognition and social interaction. Gaze analysis of a shape recognition task and performance analysis of a fitting-hole task suggested that children younger than 3 years of age tend to manipulate blocks without correct shape recognition. During free block play, the complexity of block construction was higher when children played with their mothers than when they played alone. A slightly advanced level of play with their mothers may be antecedent to the development of children’s block construction ability.

Research Products

• [Presentation] 幼児期前期の積み木遊びの発達ー親子遊びと一人遊びの比較ー (2016)
  • Author(s): 細谷 里香
  • Organizer: 日本教育心理学会第58回総会
  • Place of Presentation: 高松
  • Year and Date: 2016-10-08
• [Presentation] Toddlers' spatial recognition and object manipulation in relation to mental rotation during the fitting-hole task (2015)
  • Author(s): Rika Hosotani
  • Organizer: 17th European Conference on Developmental Psychology
  • Place of Presentation: Braga, Portugal
  • Year and Date: 2015-09-09
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] 積み木遊びの初期発達における母子相互作用 (2015)
  • Author(s): 細谷里香
  • Organizer: 日本発達心理学会
  • Place of Presentation: 東京大学(東京都文京区）
  • Year and Date: 2015-03-21
• [Presentation] 図形選択課題における幼児の視線分析研究 (2014)
  • Author(s): 細谷里香、松村京子
  • Organizer: 日本発達心理学会第25回大会
  • Place of Presentation: 京都大学
• [Presentation] Performance on spatial fitting tasks and executive function in young children (2013)
  • Author(s): Rika Hosotani, Kyoko Imai-Matsumura
  • Organizer: 16th European Conference on Developmental Psychology
  • Place of Presentation: University of Lausanne