QUESTION : How do the responses to the questions asked change from a preschool age child to an adult?

THESIS: The answers of the preschoolers will be similar to those of older subjects, only simpler and with less complexity.

The purpose of this project is to begin to understand the similarities and differences in the minds of children and the minds of adults. Growing up with three younger siblings, I have always been exposed to the behaviors and ongoing curiosity of young children. Their immense appreciation and utter innocence fascinate me. Working at the Chilmark preschool this past semester has taught me so much about self awareness and respect. My proposal is to photograph portraits of both preschool aged children and adults. Along with these photographs, I would ask them general, broad questions, such as “What’s the most important thing in life?” Using the answers to these questions, I would create small write ups to go along with the photographs. The answers would give teenagers, along with people in general (both young and old) a glimpse into the mind of a 3/4/5 year old, with seemingly no worries, compared to the thoughts of someone who has lived much longer. Working at the preschool allowed me to observe the conversations occurring between both young students, and other conversations between older people, in this case the teachers. I found it very interesting to hear the difference in topics discussed over lunch and play between the young and the older.

This project is original because it combines four different areas of study into one. My proposal includes photography, sociology, psychology and early childhood education. It’s educational aspect is included in the psychology and sociology part of the project. In my opinion, learning about the human mind and how we think and why we behave the way we do is just as important as algebra and earth science. My hope is that this project will leave myself with a better understanding of young children, adults and our minds and thought processes.

I hope to interview and photograph about 20 children and 20 adults. Ideally, there will be more than 20, but I feel as though that is a good goal and place to start.

I will know my success when I come away from this project with a better understanding how both children and adults. The product will be a gallery showing of the numerous portraits along with the answers to the questions attached. I hope this visual representation of humans thoughts will allow for a better understanding between generations.