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Children With More Uncertainty in Their Intuitive Theories Seek Domain-Relevant Information
Jinjing Jenny Wang1,2, Yang Yang1,3, Carla Macias1
1Department of Psychology, Rutgers University-Newark.
Psychological Science
|June 28, 2021
Summary
Children’s knowledge development influences their information-seeking behavior. Preschoolers with immature or intermediate intuitive theories actively seek information, unlike those with mature knowledge.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Development
- Developmental Psychology
- Learning Sciences
Background:
- Understanding how knowledge acquisition influences information-seeking behavior is crucial for educational psychology.
- Learners' existing knowledge structures can guide their exploration and desire for new information.
- Previous research has not fully elucidated the relationship between the developmental stage of intuitive theories and active information seeking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how changes in children's knowledge, specifically their intuitive theories, affect their motivation to seek information.
- To determine if different developmental stages of intuitive theories correlate with distinct patterns of information-seeking behavior.
Main Methods:
- Preschoolers (N=100) were presented with events having uncertain outcomes.
- Children were given choices to resolve specific uncertainties, allowing for the observation of information-seeking preferences.
- Two experiments were conducted, with the second refining the observation of intermediate belief development stages.
Main Results:
- Children with immature intuitive theories were more likely to seek information about uncertain outcomes.
- Children with mature knowledge showed less inclination to seek information.
- Children at intermediate stages of belief development, experiencing the most ambiguous causal outcomes, exhibited the highest motivation for information seeking.
Conclusions:
- The study demonstrates a significant link between the developmental stage of a child's intuitive theory and their learning preference for seeking information.
- Information seeking is not solely driven by general uncertainty but is modulated by the learner's existing knowledge framework and its impact on accessing model-level uncertainty.
- These findings offer novel insights into the interplay of knowledge development and active learning strategies in early childhood.
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