How to Increase Children's and Adults' Interest in Learning From Disagreement

We often avoid talking to people who disagree with us, missing potentially valuable learning opportunities. Across four preregistered studies, we examined children's (6-11 years) and adults' interest in learning from disagreement and whether it can be increased. In Study 1, we confirmed that children (6-11 years, N = 99, Canada) and adults (N = 100, USA and Canada) preferred to learn from those who agreed rather than disagreed with them across belief domains. In contrast, when asked what others should do, children (7-11 years, N = 83) and adults (N = 100) more often endorsed disagreement to increase learning, revealing a self-other gap. Studies 3 and 4 tested two interventions aimed at increasing interest in learning from disagreement. In Study 3, explicitly teaching participants (96 children, 6-11 years; 100 adults) about the benefits of disagreement for learning reduced agreement seeking, particularly among older children and adults. In Study 4, asking participants (31 children, 10-11 years; 72 adults) to consider what others should do before making their own choices also reduced agreement seeking. To learn from disagreement, we cannot avoid it. We provide two means of increasing children's and adults' interest in learning from disagreement by making epistemic benefits more salient. SUMMARY: Children and adults prefer learning from people who agree with them, despite recommending that others seek disagreement. Explicitly teaching about the benefits of disagreement increased interest in seeking out opposing viewpoints. Considering what others should do before making their own choice, increased participants' engagement with disagreement. Self-distancing through third-person reasoning helped both adults and children aged 10-11 prioritize epistemic benefits over social costs.