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Children’s developing capacity to calibrate the verbal testimony of others with observed evidence when inferring causal relations

McLoughlin, Niamh, Finiasz, Zoe, Sobel, David M., Corriveau, Kathleen H. (2021) Children’s developing capacity to calibrate the verbal testimony of others with observed evidence when inferring causal relations. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 210 . Article Number 105183. ISSN 0022-0965. (doi:10.1016/j.jecp.2021.105183) (KAR id:87965)

Abstract

Across two studies (N = 120), we investigated the development of children’s ability to calibrate the certainty of verbal testimony with observable data that varied in the degree of predictive causal accuracy. In Study 1, four- and 5-year-olds heard a certain or uncertain explanation about deterministic causal relations. The 5-year-olds made more accurate causal inferences when the informant provided a certain, more calibrated explanation. In Study 2, children heard similar explanations about probabilistic relations, making the uncertain informant more calibrated. The 5-year-olds were more likely to infer the correct causal relations when the informant was uncertain, but only when the explanation was attuned to the stochasticity of the individual causal events (or outcomes that sometimes occur). These findings imply that the capacity to integrate, and make efficient inferences from, distinct sources of knowledge emerges during the preschool years.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1016/j.jecp.2021.105183
Uncontrolled keywords: Certainty, accuracy, testimony, calibration, causal inference, social learning
Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Human and Social Sciences > School of Psychology
Depositing User: Niamh MCLOUGHLIN
Date Deposited: 07 May 2021 14:49 UTC
Last Modified: 31 May 2022 23:00 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/87965 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

McLoughlin, Niamh.

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