The thesis analyses how children aged from 4 to 6 years old understand abstract concepts and what influences their understanding. During the first years of life, children learn language skills, including the meanings of abstract concepts. In the theoretical introduction, the thesis deals with the cognitive development of children, the development of the parts of the brain responsible for abstract thinking, the learning of abstract concepts and the factors influencing the learning of abstract concepts. The purpose of research of the thesis was to determine how children aged 4 to 6 years old interpret concrete and abstract concepts, which of the abstract concepts they know better and whether the knowledge of abstract concepts is influenced by the gender and age of children.
The results showed that children interpret concrete concepts based on their features – what shape, color and material they are made of, what they are used for or what do they do. They interpret abstract concepts baesd on four categories, namely what they see, feel, relive, and observe through behavior. The concepts that the children described in more detail and extensively describe emotions or they have an emotional context, which is consistent with the findings of other researchers. Gender and age, however, have not been shown to be a factor influencing the understanding of abstract concepts.
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