What mode of representation did Jerome Bruner describe as emerging first in child cognitive development?

Jerome Bruner proposed that enactive representation is the first mode of representation that emerges in a child's cognitive development. This mode is primarily based on action and involves learning through doing. In enactive representation, children understand and store information through physical interactions with their environment, allowing them to grasp concepts by engaging in direct experiences. This approach emphasizes the importance of hands-on learning and the role of movement and manipulation in gaining an understanding of the world around them.

As children grow and develop further cognitively, they begin to transition to the next modes of representation, which include iconic representation—where they begin to use images and visual aids to represent objects—and finally, symbolic representation, where language and symbols are employed for more abstract thought. Enactive representation lays the foundational groundwork for these more complex forms of thought, making it a crucial first step in cognitive development.