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False information and decision-making in preschoolers

Nancy Garon1, Emily E Stubbert1, Lauren M West1

  • 1Department of Psychology, Mount Allison University, Sackville, NB, Canada.

Child Neuropsychology : a Journal on Normal and Abnormal Development in Childhood and Adolescence
|July 16, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Preschoolers exposed to false information made more poor choices during a game. However, early knowledge of the game protected children from misinformation effects, showing individual differences in decision-making resilience.

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Development
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Behavioral Economics

Background:

  • Understanding how children process and are affected by misinformation is crucial for cognitive development research.
  • Preschoolers' decision-making abilities are still developing, making them potentially vulnerable to false information.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of false information on decision-making in preschoolers.
  • To examine factors moderating the effects of misinformation, such as prior knowledge and decision-making strategies.

Main Methods:

  • A child-adapted Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) was administered to 113 preschoolers (mean age 48 months).
  • Participants received false information at various points during the task.
  • Children were categorized into decision-making groups based on early game strategies.

Main Results:

  • False information significantly increased disadvantageous choices in preschoolers.
  • Early explicit knowledge of the game demonstrated a protective effect against misinformation.
  • While decision-making groups and initial awareness influenced responses, the effect of false information was not persistent, with most children reverting to their initial strategies.

Conclusions:

  • Preschoolers' decision-making is robustly affected by false information, leading to poorer choices.
  • Initial knowledge and individual decision-making strategies play a key role in moderating susceptibility to misinformation.
  • Significant individual variability exists in children's responses to false information, highlighting the importance of early awareness and cognitive strategies.

Keywords:
Decision-makingawarenessfalse informationindividual differencespreschoolers

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