ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors explore aspect of material-based symbolic acts for what they reveal about the cognitive activity underlying symbolic play in the preschool years. They interest in children's choices of object-substitutes when the functional uses of these objects are systematically varied with choice options favoring different object properties. The authors regard the verbalizations as holding the cues to the cognitions upon which the children's representational choices were based. They suggest the nature of the cognitive activity underlying their choices as well as the extent of the children's reflectiveness about their representational efforts. The children's actions on the spoon item shed light on the behavior. Verbalizations focusing on the object's suitability as a substitute were nearly twice as common as behaviors that took note of a shortcoming. Instead, selecting props for play is a reflective process in which the play participant maintains a self-awareness regarding his or her symbolic play activity.
