Del objeto al símbolo: Aspectos cognitivos y sociales del conocimiento infantil sobre las imágenes [From Object to Symbol: Cognitive and Social Aspects of Children's Knowledge of Pictures}

Photographs and drawings are two-dimensional representations highly similar to
their referents. This article develops the idea that its comprehension is a complex
process influenced and determined by perceptual, cognitive and social mechanisms. The
first part presents the major milestones in the understanding of two-dimensional
representations identifying three developmental stages from birth until the preschool
years and the perceptual and cognitive mechanisms underlying this process. The second
part examines the influence of different factors related to the two-dimensional stimulus
(perceptual similarity and language) and the social context (symbolic experience and
intentionality). This analysis allows us to postulate that skills for social cognition and
cultural learning are also crucial to the knowledge and use of two-dimensional
representations.