The purpose of this study was to examine the development of representational activity through the comprehension of graphic jokes in 2, 3 and 4-year-old children. In experiment 1 we worked with three kinds of jokes, specifically mentalistic jokes, jokes based on substitution and complex jokes. We found differentiated performances on each kind of joke, as had been expected based on the semiological analysis of the jokes prior to the experiment. The earliest comprehension, at 3 years old, occurred with mentalistic jokes where more than 70% of the total sample was successful. The substitution jokes reached 47% in the three-year-old subjects, and the latest kind of joke to be understood by this group were the complex jokes, with only 31% comprehension. In experiment 2 we wanted to specify the cognitive functioning that was taking place in the comprehension of mentalistic jokes. We found similar successful performances in two mentalistic jokes with both the 3 and 4 year-olds in the study. Children's performances were analyzed from the point of view of processes of redescription which were involved in the understanding of the jokes. We conclude that humor tasks are appropriate instruments to examine development of children's representational abilities.

Two experiments examined pictorial humor as an unusual but legitimate way to approach the study of children’s representational activity and the transition from implicit to explicit knowledge. In both experiments, the participants were 3- and 4-year-old children. Experiment 1 studied the understanding of two pictorial jokes using two conditions, choice and verbal production. Experiment 2 compared the results of Experiment 1 with the comprehension that children had of two versions of three pictorial jokes presented in two different sessions. The results showed three levels of comprehension. Changes in level were analyzed. The data suggest a tendency to stay at the same level, although a few children either descended or ascended. These changes occur within a short period of time, and provide support for a particular conceptualization of cognitive development. Implications for illustrated mechanisms of change and representational redescriptions in young children are discussed.

<p>Dedicamos este editorial a la psicología, porque entendemos el papel fundamental que desempeña en el bienestar de una sociedad, sobre todo en un contexto como el nuestro, socavado por un conflicto armado largamente asentado. Si bien en la actualidad la psicología colombiana goza de buena salud, hay algunos signos inquietantes que valdría la pena tener en cuenta. Lo uno y lo otro se pueden deducir fácilmente de las cifras que arroja su evolución.</p>

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