Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 19, 2026

Fabrication of an Expandable Brain Matrix Customizable Across Developmental Stages
Published on: February 20, 2026
Making tools isn't child's play
Sarah R Beck1, Ian A Apperly, Jackie Chappell
1School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK. s.r.beck@bham.ac.uk
Abstract:
Tool making evidences intelligent, flexible thinking. In Experiment 1, we confirmed that 4- to 7-year-olds chose a hook tool to retrieve a bucket from a tube. In Experiment 2, 3- to 5-year-olds consistently failed to innovate a simple hook tool. Eight-year-olds performed at mature levels. In contrast, making a tool following demonstration was easy for even the youngest children. In Experiment 3, children's performance did not improve given the opportunity to manipulate the objects in a warm-up phase. Children's tool innovation lags substantially behind their ability to learn how to make tools by observing others.
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