Abstract
This paper reports the findings of an exploratory study of the development of the child's conception of economic activities, relations, and institutions. On the basis of clinical interviews with children between the ages of four and 12, we present a descriptive overview of the development of the child's representation of economic phenomena, devoting special attention to an analysis of the underlying structural characteristics of this developmental process. This research provides the empirical basis for advancing a number of theoretical propositions concerning the process of cognitive socialization and the nature of the child's conception of social relations in general