What is semiotics
It is possible that, when talking to other people on different social occasions, we make reference to objects or materials that are not present at that moment. In fact, the use of symbology to refer to certain things that we use to explain ourselves is recurrent. In this article we will impart you the Semiotic function of piaget.
This is directly linked to imagination, a characteristic of human beings that allows us to understand some specific themes, even if they do not actually exist in reality. This characteristic appears in most people who master the language and invites us to reflect on it. In this sense, genetic psychology has emphasized the use of certain representations in different social contexts.
What is Piaget’s Semiotics?
Piaget was an epistemologist and psychologist who dedicated himself to the study of the development of intelligence in human beings from the passage through certain stages. Among his most important theorizations, the concept of the semiotic function emerged, which refers to the ability to represent certain meanings related to objects and/or materials, through verbal language.
In other words, using specific terms can conceive own ideas of places, people, etc. This function characterizes people who have control of non-existent representations thanks to the possibility of referring to objectives that are not present at the moment.
Components of Piaget’s semiotics
On the other hand, it should be noted that the semiotic function has some components that differ from each other. We will show below:
- Significant : consists of the material content of a representation. In this sense, there may be the letters of a word that compose it.
- Meaning : it is the mental image that is produced when reference is made to certain meanings specific to language.
How to use the semiotic function
Semiotic function of piaget presents several types of representations associated with this concept. Below, we will show you the main uses of this concept:
- Imitation : reproduction of gestures and/or words that usually come from other people.
- Memories : images, sounds and gestures that can be stored in memory for a long time.
- Symbolic game : it is possible to recreate specific situations in which characters, places, actions, among others, can be represented.
- Symbols : are those signs that evoke socially accepted ideas and meanings.
Examples of semiotic functions of Piaget in children’s behavior
In order to bring greater clarity to the topic we are addressing, we will leave below some examples of semiotic functions in children’s behavior:
- Symbolic game : a child has the ability to play that he is a superhero he saw in the movies, because he can imitate his characteristics without considering himself as one. In other words, the symbolic game allows evoking characters that do not exist in reality through the use of disguises, words, gestures, among others.
- Graphic representations : here it is possible to include drawings and writings in which children graphically represent objects and ideas that are only in their heads. In this way, mental concepts can be represented from the graphic resource. For example, a child can draw his father with different strokes that will be linked to the perception and image he has of him.
- Imitation : Children often imitate aspects they observe in their life. In fact, it is common to see games in which cars, motorcycles or helicopters, among others, are heard. Imitation provides greater proximity to certain situations.
- Verbal language : the use of sounds is one of the first resources that children use when communicating. Therefore, it is common that, when very young, they try to imitate words through initial sounds that comprise the syllables. After a while, the evolution of language will allow a person to make use of words.
