Children “Reading” Paintings: Evidence for the Trans-Symbolic Comprehension Framework?

• In Event: Cognitive Processes in Comprehension of Visual Representations: Art, Diagrams, Graphs, and Models

Abstract

Objective
The burgeoning literature on the comprehension of nonlinguistic compositions like visual displays (e.g., diagrams, paintings, illustrations) has been criticized as underspecified and largely atheoretical (Azripe & Styles, 2008; Reed, 2006). Unsworth (2008) articulated the need for a "trans-disciplinary" framework that provides a unified resource for research in the comprehension of information presented in a variety of symbol systems, such as language, visual display, sound, and movement. Additionally, he argued that this framework should allow researchers to pursue a focused study within a single symbol system, while building bridges between them.
Theoretical Framework
Recently, Loughlin and Alexander (in press) forwarded Tran-Symbolic Comprehension (TSC) as such a framework. The TSC suggests that both trans-symbolic and symbol-specific processes are present in any act of comprehension. Trans-symbolic comprehension processes are those that transcend symbol systems (e.g., both text and painting comprehension may entail connecting to prior knowledge), while symbol-specific processes are particular to the symbology in which the information is presented (e.g., interpreting color might be a painting-specific comprehension process). The TSC arose from an examination of the literatures addressing nonlinguistic compositions emanating from cognitive and educational psychology, as well as complementary literatures in other domains (i.e., philosophy, semiotics, curriculum design, and museum education).
This study represents an interrogation of the TSC by examining the processes enacted during painting comprehension.
Methodology and Data Source
Participants in the study were 27 fourth-grade and 24 eighth-grade students (28 female). The painting comprehension tasks involved participants thinking aloud while studying The Janitor Who Paints (1937) by Palmer Hayden and Birthday (1913) by Marc Chagall. The paintings were presented as full-color prints, and included title, artist, and year of publication. Think aloud tasks were counter-balanced and averaged 3.5 minutes. Participants' think aloud verbalizations were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and coded by two independent raters for evidence of comprehension processes.
Results
In keeping with the prediction of the TSC, participants utilized trans-symbolic and symbol-specific processes to comprehend the paintings. Fourteen comprehension processes commonly associated with traditional text were identified, including connecting to prior knowledge and experiences, questioning, elaborating, and inferring, among others. These were considered evidence of trans-symbolic comprehension processes because they were present in the current painting study and, historically, in studies of text comprehension. Additionally, six processes not commonly associated with traditional text comprehension were also identified, including observing a variety of objects and actions, and identifying and responding to elements of art, among others. These were considered evidence of painting-specific processes.
The identification of both trans-symbolic and symbol-specific processes in participants’ painting comprehension activities provided additional support for the TSC framework.
Significance
The TSC may serve to forward educational research by providing a framework for investigating comprehension processes of nonlinguistic and multi-symbolic compositions. Additionally, the TSC may impact educational practice by identifying nonlinguistic compositions that can provide a scaffold for the development of some reading-relevant comprehension strategies. This would be particularly relevant for students who have difficulty in decoding or gaining access to meaning when reading complex texts.

Author

• Sandra Michelle Loughlin, University of Maryland