Children’s reasoning about the efficiency of others’ actions: The development of rational action prediction

Gönül, Gökhan und Paulus, Markus (April 2021): Children’s reasoning about the efficiency of others’ actions: The development of rational action prediction. In: Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, Bd. 204, 105035

Abstract

The relative efficiency of an action is a central criterion in action control and can be used to predict others’ behavior. Yet, it is unclear when the ability to predict on and reason about the efficiency of others’ actions develops. In three main and two follow-up studies, 3- to 6-year-old children (n = 242) were confronted with vignettes in which protagonists could take a short (efficient) path or a long path. Children predicted which path the protagonist would take and why the protagonist would take a specific path. The 3-year-olds did not take efficiency into account when making decisions even when there was an explicit goal, the task was simplified and made more salient, and children were questioned after exposure to the agent’s action. Four years is a transition age for rational action prediction, and the 5-year-olds reasoned on the efficiency of actions before relying on them to predict others’ behavior. Results are discussed within a representational redescription account.

• Dokumententyp: Zeitschriftenartikel
• Keywords: Rational action prediction; Efficiency; Goal understanding; Reasoning; Action anticipation; Teleological stance
• Fakultät: Psychologie und Pädagogik > Department Psychologie
• Themengebiete: 100 Philosophie und Psychologie > 150 Psychologie ; 300 Sozialwissenschaften > 370 Bildung und Erziehung
• ISSN: 0022-0965
• Sprache: Englisch