Abstract
Six year-old children interpreted 3 domains of mental metaphors : container (e. g., "The mind was empty."), object (e. g., "The mind was heavy."), and agent metaphors (e. g., "The mind hesitated."). In Study 1, 16 children were presented two picture stories: a correct interpretation of the metaphor and a foil, and were asked to select the correct interpretation. In each of Studies 2 and 3, 20 children were presented with a metaphor and 4 picture stories: metaphorical'correct, metaphorical incorrect, literal/incorrect, and an unrelated interpretation of the metaphor. They were asked to make the same choices as in Study 1. In all three studies, most children made more correct selections for container metaphors than for agent metaphors. These results were discussed in terms of preschoolers' image of the mind.
