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Twelve-month-olds communicate helpfully and appropriately for knowledgeable and ignorant partners
Ulf Liszkowski1, Malinda Carpenter, Michael Tomasello
1Communication Before Language Group, Max-Planck-Institute for Psycholinguistics, Wundtlaan 1, 6525 XD Nijmegen, The Netherlands. ulf.liszkowski@mpi.nl
Twelve-month-old infants understand when a partner lacks information. They appropriately point to objects to help knowledgeable versus ignorant adults find items, showing early prosocial communication.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Infant Communication
- Theory of Mind
Background:
- Classic views suggest limited infant communication abilities.
- Early infant pointing is often considered egocentric or reflexive.
- Understanding others' mental states is a key developmental milestone.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if 12-month-old infants adjust their gestures based on a partner's knowledge state.
- To determine if infants provide information strategically to ignorant partners.
- To explore the role of prosocial motives in early infant communication.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments were conducted with 12-month-old infants.
- Infants' pointing gestures were observed in response to a searching adult.
- The adult's knowledge of object locations was manipulated (seen vs. not seen fall).
Main Results:
- Infants pointed significantly more to objects unknown to the adult.
- Pointing behavior differed based on whether the adult needed information.
- This suggests infants differentiate between knowledgeable and ignorant partners.
Conclusions:
- Twelve-month-old infants demonstrate an understanding of others' knowledge and ignorance.
- Infants' pointing gestures are not purely reflexive but can be intentional and prosocial.
- Early communication in infancy is influenced by an understanding of others' informational needs.
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