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Children's understanding of habitual behaviour.
Micah B Goldwater1, Samuel J Gershman2, Caroline Moul1
1University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia.
Developmental Science
|February 15, 2020
Summary
Children aged 5-10 understand that habits can lead to suboptimal actions, even when people know better. This research expands on Theory of Mind (ToM) by exploring habitual behavior in social reasoning development.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Development
- Developmental Psychology
- Social Cognition
Background:
- Theory of Mind (ToM) research typically focuses on children inferring goals and beliefs.
- Human behavior is influenced by both goal-directed plans and long-term habits.
- Habits can lead to maladaptive actions when environmental contingencies change.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate children's understanding of habitual behavior's role in social reasoning.
- To examine how children aged 5-10 perceive suboptimal actions driven by habit.
- To contrast this understanding with traditional ToM research focusing on goals and beliefs.
Main Methods:
- Children aged 5-10 were assessed on their predictions of agent behavior.
- The study evaluated children's ability to recognize habit-driven suboptimal actions.
- Children's predictions were compared to their understanding of goal-directed behavior.
Main Results:
- All children predicted goal-consistent behavior.
- Children between 5 and 10 years old demonstrated an increasing understanding of habit-driven suboptimal actions.
- This indicates a developing awareness that actions can be suboptimal despite cognitive awareness.
Conclusions:
- Children's social reasoning development includes understanding the influence of habits on behavior.
- Beyond goal inference, children learn that habits can override optimal decision-making.
- Findings highlight the importance of considering habitual influences in social cognition research.
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