Abstract
This study investigated how young children come to understand video images not as real, physically present objects but as representations. To assess the nature of their understanding, three experiments were conducted in which children were asked about the possibility of the interaction between the image world and the real world. The research focused on how intentionality affected children's perception of video images. Intentionality was manipulated in terms of the difference of direction and source. The results of the study indicated that (1) up to the age of 5 1/2 most children thought they could interact with video images, whereas a greater number of children over 6 years of age denied the possibility of interaction; and (2) the direction and source of intentionality affected children's understanding of video images, depending on their ages. The results suggested that it takes a long time for children to come to understand the representational nature of video images. The factor of intentionality may play an important role in this developmental process.
