本研究の目的は,形式的課題における,否定語の理解と生産の発達を調べることである。そのために,類否定にかんして,選択課題,構成課題および言語化課題を行った。いくつかの教示(下位項目)を組合せて,被験者各人の否定および肯定の段階を定めた。また,先行経験(色・形分類または絵カードでの選択)の,課題に及ぼす影響を見た。 4∼6才児54名を対象とした。選択課題は,4枚の図形の中から「青い丸とちがうもの」や「青いものの中で丸とちがうもの」などを選択する。構成課題は,色と形を分離した材料を用いて,選択課題の下位項目に対応するものを構成する。言語化課題は,指示されたものを,選択課題の教示に対応する言葉で言語化する。 その結果,先行経験の影響はなかった。否定について,選択課題と構成課題はほぼ同じ年齢で可能で,1次元否定は4才ころ,2次元否定は5才ころ,部分補クラスは5才ころ(構成課題では6才ころ)に可能になった。それに対して言語化課題は困難で,5才ころ1次元否定ができ,6才でもそこにとどまった。肯定については,選択課題と構成課題では,2次元肯定が4才からできた。言語化課題では,1次元肯定は,4才からできたが,2次元肯定は,5,6才ころにできた。肯定の段階は否定の段階より1年ほど先行していた。 なお,別の被験者で,選択課題の材料の図形が,4枚の場合と9枚の場合とを比較したところ,難易に差はなかった。また,選択課題の材料が,図形の場合と絵カードの場合とを比較したところ,肯定についてのみ絵カードの方が困難になった。絵カードの場合は属性によって困難さが異なり複雑になるであろう。

The purpose of this study is to investigate the development of the understanding of the negative word "not" in a formal task. Regarding "class negation", the Selection Task, the Construction Task and the Verbalization Task were given. To determine the stages of "negation" and "affirmation", some instructions (sub-items) were combined. Also the effect of the antecedent experiences (color-form sorthing or the selection with pictute cards) on the tasks was investigated. The subjects were 54 children in a day care. They were from 3;8 to 6;7, and were divided into three groups according to their ages. The Selection Task was to select the following ones from four figures (a blue circle, a blue triangle, a red circle and a red triangle). 1° blue 2° not a circle 3° a red triangle 4° not a blue circle 3' red and a circle 5° blue and not a circle 6° not a circle and not blue The Construction Task was to construct correspondents to the sub-items in the Selection Task (the words vary), using the apparatus separting the colors and the froms (cf. FIG. 1). The Verbalization Task was to utter the words corresponding to the instructions in the Selection Task, seeing one of the four figures pointed. The results were as follows. There was no effect of the antecedent experiences. Regarding "negation" (cf. FIG. 3), the Selection Task and the Construction Task were attained at about the same age. the stage of "one-dimensional negation" was attained at the age of about four years old, that of "two-dimensional negation" at about five and that of "partial complementary class" at about five (as in the Construction Task, at about six years old). On the contrary though, the Verbalization Task was difficult. The stage of "one-dimensional negation" was attained at about five years old and most of the six-year-old children remained at the stage. Regarding "affirmation" (cf. FIG. 4), in the Selection Task and the Construction Task, "two-dimensional affirmation" was possible from the age of four. In the Verbalization Task, "one-dimensional affirmation" was possible from four, but the stage of "two-dimensional affirmation" was attained at only about the age of five or six years old. The stages of affirmation preceded those of negation by a year. In addition to that, two conditions were compared using other subjects: when the apparatus of the Selection Task was four figures, and nine figures. The result was that there was no difference in: when difficulty. Also two conditions were compared the apparatus of the Selection Task was made of figures, and when made of picture cards (a butterfly, a tortoise, a rocket and a car. The dimensions were about "fly" and "living"). The result was that only the affirmation task with the picture cards was more difficult.