How to Help Young Children Ask Better Questions?

Abstract

In this paper, we investigate the informativeness of 4- to 6-year-old (N = 125) children's questions using a combined qualitative and quantitative approach. Children were presented with a hierarchical version of the 20-questions game, in which they were given an array of objects that could be organized into three category levels based on shared features. We then tested whether it is possible to scaffold children's question-asking abilities without extensive training. In particular, we supported children's categorization performance by providing the object-related features needed to ask effective constraint-seeking questions. We found that with both age and scaffolding children asked more effective questions, targeting higher category levels and therefore reaching the solution with fewer questions. We discuss the practical and theoretical implications of these results.

Keywords: information gain; information search; preschoolers; question asking; scaffolding; vocabulary.

FIGURE 1

First (left) and second (right) training sets. The first set included four monsters, identical but for one feature—the hat. The second set included four monsters, identical but for two features—belly color and wings.

FIGURE 2

Set of cards used during the test phase, with an illustration of the hierarchical structure the monsters could be organized by based on their features.

FIGURE 3

Average proportion of all questions (top) and first questions (bottom) asked that targeted higher-, middle-, lower-level categories and single objects, displayed by age, and condition.

FIGURE 4

Average information gain (top panel) and number of questions (bottom panel) asked by children, displayed by age and condition. Dots represent individual participants’ scores; bold lines represent the medians.