Abstract
According to recent theories, social cognition is based on two different types of information-processing; an implicit or action-based one and an explicit or verbal one. The present study examined whether implicit and explicit social-cognitive information processing interact with each other by investigating young children’s and adults’ use of verbal (i.e., explicit) information to predict others’ actions. Employing eye-tracking to measure anticipatory eye-movements as a measure of implicit processing, Experiment 1 presented 1.5-, 2.5-, and 3.5-year-old children as well as adults with agents who announced to move to either of two possible targets. The results show that only the 3.5-year-old children and adults, but not the 1.5- and 2.5-year-old children were able to use verbal information to correctly anticipate others’ actions. Yet, Experiments 2 and 3 showed that 2.5-year-old children were able to use explicit information to give a correct explicit answer (Experiment 2) and that they were able to use statistical information to anticipate the other’s actions (Experiment 3). Overall, the study is in line with theoretical claims that two types of information-processing underlie human social cognition. It shows that these two inform each other by 3 years of age.
| Item Type: | Journal article |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | Cognitive development; Action understanding; Cognitive processes; Social cognition; Eye-tracking |
| Faculties: | Psychology and Education Science > Department Psychology > Entwicklungspsychologie und Pädagogische Psychologie |
| Subjects: | 100 Philosophy and Psychology > 150 Psychology |
| ISSN: | 1873-7838 |
| Language: | English |
| Item ID: | 56767 |
| Date Deposited: | 23. Jul 2018, 06:57 |
| Last Modified: | 04. Nov 2020, 13:36 |
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