Lexical-semantic body knowledge in 5- to 11-year-old children: How spatial body representation influences body semantics

Abstract

This study addresses the relation between lexico-semantic body knowledge (i.e., body semantics) and spatial body representation (i.e., structural body representation) by analyzing naming performances as a function of body structural topography. One hundred and forty-one children ranging from 5 years 2 months to 10 years 5 months old were asked to provide a lexical label for isolated body part pictures. We compared the children's naming performances according to the location of the body parts (body parts vs. head features and also upper vs. lower limbs) or to their involvement in motor skills (distal segments, joints, and broader body parts). The results showed that the children's naming performance was better for facial body parts than for other body parts. Furthermore, it was found that the naming of body parts was better for body parts related to action. These findings suggest that the development of a spatial body representation shapes the elaboration of semantic body representation processing. Moreover, this influence was not limited to younger children. In our discussion of these results, we focus on the important role of action in the development of body representations and semantic organization.

Body Representations in Children with Cerebral Palsy

“…Considering that the body representations develop differently during the childhood [ 4 , 25 , 26 ], in order to take into account such differences, the TDC and CP samples were subdivided into two age groups: (i) children from 5 to 7 years old (TDC1; n = 38; CP1; n = 21) and (ii) children from 8 to 11 years old (TDC2; n = 65; CP2; n = 12). CP1 and CP2 groups were similar for Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM; Manney-Whitney U = 117.00; p = 0.707)…”

Body knowledge in children with congenital lower limb deficiency

“…study. In another study, children achieved better performance in naming body parts related to action and facial parts than other parts, and better performance in naming upper limbs than lower limbs . Factors contributing to the low verbal knowledge of the feet in children with LLD could include the absence of visual, tactile, and other inputs, as well as motor output for the missing part, and a less frequent use of feet‐related vocabulary by the adults around them.…”

From Hemispheric Asymmetry through Sensorimotor Experiences to Cognitive Outcomes in Children with Cerebral Palsy

“…The Body Schema (measured with the Hand Laterality Task [251]) seems to take the longest to reflect adult-like performance [250,[252][253][254][255][256]. The concept of the Body Semantics has been found to be positively related to that of the Body Structural Representation [253,257]. The Body Schema is usually evaluated using so-called "motor imagery" tasks that require mental simulation of physical movement to make laterality judgments based on pictures of body parts (e.g., hands and feet) presented in different orientations.…”