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Related Experiment Videos

Children prefer certain individuals over perfect duplicates.

Bruce M Hood1, Paul Bloom

  • 1Bristol Cognitive Development Centre, Department of Experimental Psychology, 12a Priory Road, Bristol BS8 1TU, UK. Bruce.Hood@bris.ac.uk

Cognition
|March 6, 2007
PubMed
Summary
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Children often prefer unique items over identical copies, even from a young age. This suggests early attachment biases are not solely based on an object's visible characteristics.

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Development
  • Psychology
  • Object Perception

Background:

  • Adults exhibit a bias towards unique items over perfect duplicates.
  • This preference extends to sentimental objects, artwork, and memorabilia.
  • The origins of this bias in early childhood remain underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the developmental origins of valuing unique objects in young children.
  • To determine if children exhibit a bias against identical replacements for cherished items.
  • To explore the role of perceived properties versus unique identity in object valuation.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a conjurer's illusion to create identical object copies.
  • Study 1: Compared children's acceptance of replacements for attachment objects versus favorite toys.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Study 2: Assessed children's valuation of a unique personal possession (Queen Elizabeth II's) versus an identical copy.

    • Main Results:

    • Children were less likely to accept an identical replacement for an attachment object compared to a favorite toy.
    • Children showed a preference for a unique personal possession over its identical copy.
    • This bias was not observed for all types of valuable objects, suggesting context-dependency.

    Conclusions:

    • Young children develop attachments to objects that are independent of their perceptible properties.
    • The bias for unique items in children is rooted in early psychological development.
    • Object value is influenced by factors beyond mere physical characteristics, including unique history or association.