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Updated: May 29, 2026
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Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm
Published on: April 28, 2016
Indirect goal priming is more powerful than explicit instruction in children
Amanda Kesek1, William A Cunningham, Dominic J Packer
1Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, MN 55455-0345, USA. kesek005@umn.edu
Developmental Science
|September 3, 2011
Summary
Indirect priming using stories proved more effective than explicit instructions for influencing young children's reward choices. This suggests indirect methods may enhance self-regulation development more than direct teaching.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Cognitive Science
- Behavioral Economics
Background:
- Early childhood self-regulation is crucial for cognitive and social development.
- Understanding factors influencing children's decision-making regarding immediate versus delayed rewards is key.
- Both explicit instruction and indirect priming are potential methods for shaping behavior.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the effectiveness of explicit instruction versus indirect priming on 4-year-olds' reward-choice behavior.
- To investigate how different goal orientations (maximize rewards vs. immediate rewards) interact with instructional methods.
- To explore the developmental interplay of bottom-up and top-down influences on early self-regulation.
Main Methods:
- 106 four-year-old children were randomly assigned to one of four conditions.
- Conditions varied by goal (maximize rewards or immediate rewards) and instruction type (indirect priming via stories or explicit verbal instructions).
- Children completed a task involving choices between small immediate and larger delayed rewards.
Main Results:
- Indirect priming significantly increased goal-congruent choices compared to explicit instruction.
- No significant effect of explicit verbal instruction on children's choices was observed.
- Children in the indirect priming conditions were more likely to align their choices with the assigned goal.
Conclusions:
- Indirect priming, particularly through storytelling, may be a more effective strategy than explicit instruction for guiding young children's behavior.
- These findings highlight the potential of indirect methods in fostering self-regulation and goal-directed behavior in early development.
- The results contribute to understanding how different regulatory influences shape children's decision-making processes.
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