The role of action-initiation in young children's causal explanations of action

Journal/Book: Cognitive Develop. 1996; 11: 355 Chestnut St, Norwood, NJ 07648. Ablex Publ Corp. 467-489.

Abstract: Four studies examined preschoolers' use of the cue of action initiation to infer another's desired goal. In two studies, children watched as one protagonist self-initiated movement to a target while a second person was propelled there by an external force. Older 3-year-olds (M = 3;10) and 5-year-olds consistently judged only the self-initiated actor's movement as desire based. In the second study, however, younger 3-year-olds (M = 3;3 also participated, and they were equally likely to say that either movement was goal directed, even when the passive mover appeared to resist movement toward the goal. A third study, featuring only one protagonist, yielded no improvement among younger 3-year-olds. A fourth study emphasizing the single protagon ist's persistence in approaching a target via repeated self-initiated movements revealed some improvement among younger 3-year-olds; older 3-year-olds were near ceiling performance. Altogether, these results suggest that differences in action initiation play an increasingly important role in 3-year-olds' mentalistic explanations of action. This development may be related to other critical changes occurring in 3-year-olds' developing theory of mind.

Note: Article Montgomery DE, Bradley Univ, Dept Psychol, Peoria,IL 61625 USA

Keyword(s): DISTINCTION; PERCEPTION; BEHAVIOR; OBJECTS

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