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Theory of mind selectively predicts preschoolers' knowledge-based selective word learning
Patricia Brosseau-Liard1, Danielle Penney2, Diane Poulin-Dubois2
1School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Canada.
The British Journal of Developmental Psychology
|July 28, 2015
Summary
Children with better theory of mind skills prefer learning from accurate people, not just strong ones. This shows preschoolers understand knowledge and use it to choose who to learn from.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Development
- Social Cognition
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Children selectively learn from models based on attributes like accuracy or strength.
- A debate exists on the link between theory-of-mind skills and selective social learning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if theory-of-mind abilities predict selective learning based on informant accuracy (epistemic) versus physical strength (non-epistemic).
- To test the hypothesis that advanced theory of mind enhances understanding of knowledge for informant selection.
Main Methods:
- Assessed theory-of-mind abilities in 65 three- and 4-year-olds.
- Conducted two selective learning tasks to observe informant preference.
- Correlated theory-of-mind performance with choices based on accuracy and strength.
Main Results:
- Theory-of-mind performance significantly predicted preference for accurate informants.
- No significant link was found between theory-of-mind skills and preference for physically strong informants.
- Preschoolers' selective learning aligns with their understanding of epistemic attributes.
Conclusions:
- Advanced theory of mind in preschoolers supports a nuanced understanding of knowledge acquisition.
- Children utilize their understanding of knowledge to strategically select informants for social learning.
- Findings contribute to understanding social cognition development and early learning mechanisms.
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