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Title: | Perceiving a moral identity: When storybook illustrations express a moral duality |
Author: | Obiols Suari, Núria Batista i Trobalon, Josep |
Keywords: | Desenvolupament moral Infància Literatura infantil Llibres il·lustrats per a infants Llibres d'imatges per a infants Moral development Childhood Children's literature Illustrated children's books Picture books for children |
Issue Date: | 12-Oct-2021 |
Publisher: | Common Ground Research Networks |
Abstract: | Perceiving a moral identity in a visual image of a fictional character is a recurrent experience in childhood. “This man is evil” or “that woman is good” are common responses of children to certain physical characteristics represented in a specific range of color or with a specific facial expression. In this study, we aimed to determine whether children perceived a moral identity in a series of illustrations of characters in children’s literature. To do so, we created a sample of thirty pictures of different characters; twelve with “evil” profiles, twelve with “good” profiles, and six neutral. The sample was viewed by forty-six children (twenty-one girls and twenty five boys) who expressed their perceptions of the characters’ ethical nature, basing their impressions on their physical appearance alone without any knowledge of a possible plot or narrative link. They expressed their opinions on a seven-level visual analog scale, on which 0 indicated maximum goodness and 7 maximum evil. The results indicated a notable consensus with regard to the perceived ethical profile of the characters; the figure’s appearance provided enough clear information to apportion a moral identity of evil or goodness. This leads us to think about the existence of certain visual codes that allow us to understand questions about the identity of a character and, in this case, his/her moral identity. |
Note: | Reproducció del document publicat a: https://doi.org/10.18848/2154-8560/CGP/v12i02/33-44 |
It is part of: | The International Journal of the Image, 2021, vol. 12, num.2, p. 33-44 |
URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/2445/206409 |
Related resource: | https://doi.org/10.18848/2154-8560/CGP/v12i02/33-44 |
ISSN: | 2154-8560 |
Appears in Collections: | Articles publicats en revistes (Cognició, Desenvolupament i Psicologia de l'Educació) |
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