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Children's sensitivity to their own relative ignorance : handling of possibilities under epistemic and physical uncertainty

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Robinson, Elizabeth J., Rowley, M. J., Beck, S. R., Carroll, D. J. and Apperly, Ian. (2006) Children's sensitivity to their own relative ignorance : handling of possibilities under epistemic and physical uncertainty. Child development, Vol.77 (No.6). pp. 1642-1655. ISSN 0009-3920

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2006.00964.x...

Abstract

Children were more likely correctly to specify possibilities when uncertainty resided in the physical world, and more likely to guess the outcome when objectively identical uncertainty arose from their own perspective of ignorance (epistemic uncertainty). In Experiment 1, 4-to 6-year-olds more frequently marked both doors from which a block might emerge when the outcome was undetermined, than when the block was hidden behind one door. In Experiment 2 (5-to 6- year-olds) and 3 (5-to 8- yearolds), children more frequently placed food in both possible locations when an imaginary pet was yet to be placed in a box, than when it was hidden in one. Results have implications for interpretive theory of mind and ‘curse of knowledge’.

Item Type:

Journal Article

Subjects:

B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology

Divisions:

Faculty of Science > Psychology

Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):

Child psychology, Uncertainty -- Psychological aspects

Journal or Publication Title:

Child development

Publisher:

Blackwell-synergy

ISSN:

0009-3920

Official Date:

14 November 2006

Dates:

Date	Event
14 November 2006	Published

Volume:

Vol.77

Number:

No.6

Number of Pages:

Page Range:

pp. 1642-1655

Identification Number:

10.1111/j.1467-8624.2006.00964.x

Status:

Peer Reviewed

Access rights to Published version:

Open Access

Funder:

Economic and Social Research Council (Great Britain) (ESRC)

Grant number:

RES000220305

Related URLs:

http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs...

References:

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