McCormack, Teresa, Butterfill, Stephen A. (Stephen Andrew), Hoerl, Christoph and Burns, P. (Patrick). (2009) Cue competition effects and young children’s causal and counterfactual inferences. Developmental Psychology, Vol.45 (No.6). pp. 1563-1575. ISSN 0012-1649

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Abstract

The authors examined cue competition effects in young children using the blicket detector paradigm, in which objects are placed either singly or in pairs on a novel machine and children must judge which objects have the causal power to make the machine work. Cue competition effects were found in a 5- to 6-year-old group but not in a 4-year-old group. Equivalent levels of forward and backward blocking were found in the former group. Children's counterfactual judgments were subsequently examined by asking whether or not the machine would have gone off in the absence of I of 2 objects that had been placed on it as a pair. Cue competition effects were demonstrated only in 5- to 6-year-olds using this mode of assessing causal reasoning.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BD Speculative Philosophy B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Divisions:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Philosophy
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Causation, Counterfactuals (Logic), Learning, Psychology of
Journal or Publication Title:	Developmental Psychology
Publisher:	American Psychological Association
ISSN:	0012-1649
Date:	November 2009
Volume:	Vol.45
Number:	No.6
Number of Pages:	13
Page Range:	pp. 1563-1575
Identification Number:	10.1037/a0017408
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Publication Status:	Published
Access rights to Published version:	Restricted or Subscription Access
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URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/17022

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