Final answer:
Bruner's three stages of knowledge representation are enactive (action-based), iconic (image-based), and symbolic (language-based), allowing for an understanding of how knowledge is processed and stored at different cognitive levels.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Bruner's three stages of knowledge representation provide a framework within cognitive psychology for understanding how individuals encode, transform, store, and retrieve information. Jerome Bruner, a psychologist, proposed three modes of cognitive representation which are:
- Enactive representation (action-based knowledge): This is the stage where knowledge is stored primarily through physical actions and motor responses. An example would be a child understanding the concept of gravity by dropping objects and observing them fall.
- Iconic representation (image-based knowledge): Knowledge is stored in the form of visual images or icons. An instance of this would be recognizing a mathematical pattern or the visualization of story elements.
- Symbolic representation (language-based knowledge): This is the most abstract form of knowledge representation, where information is stored and communicated through symbols or codes like language and mathematics. For example, understanding and using algebraic expressions to represent real-world scenarios.
It is important to note that these stages are not strictly age or developmentally bound but are rather ways in which information can be processed at any age, depending on the complexity and nature of the knowledge.