Children transition from simple associations to explicitly reasoned social learning strategies between age four and eight

Abstract

To differentiate the use of simple associations from use of explicitly reasoned selective social learning, we can look for age-related changes in children's behaviour that might signify a switch from one social learning strategy to the other. We presented 4- to 8-year-old children visiting a zoo in Scotland (N = 109) with a task in which the perceptual access of two informants was determined by the differing opacity of two screens of similar visual appearance during a hiding event. Initially success could be achieved by forming an association or inferring a rule based on salient visual (but causally irrelevant) cues. However, following a switch in the scenario, success required explicit reasoning about informants' potential to provide valuable information based on their perceptual access. Following the switch, older children were more likely to select a knowledgeable informant. This suggests that some younger children who succeeded in the pre-switch trials had inferred rules or formed associations based on superficial, yet salient, visual cues, whereas older children made the link between perceptual access and the potential to inform. This late development and apparent cognitive challenge are consistent with proposals that such capacities are linked to the distinctiveness of human cumulative culture.

Figure 1

Illustration of the perceptual access afforded by the opaque (yellow) and semi-opaque (blue) screens when interrupting the view of another object. (a) when viewed close up, illustrative of child’s view during the experience phase; (b) when viewed at a distance, illustrative of child’s view during pre-switch and switch phases.

Figure 2

Proportion of knowledgeable informant selections in the switch trials by age and whether children met criterion or not. Age is plotted by age in days. Dashed line indicates chance performance.

Figure 3

Number of switch trials in which children selected the knowledgeable informant by the number of pre-switch trials required to meet criterion. Children who met criterion after only five trials performed significantly better than children who took more than five trials to reach criterion and children who did not reach criterion. Small black points show individual participants’ performance, large red points indicate group means. Brackets indicate differences between groups. Dashed line indicates chance performance.

Figure 4

Number of knowledgeable informant selections by category of explicit verbal reasoning response. Children who were categorised as having provided a reasoned correct response were also more likely to have selected the knowledgeable informant in more switch trials. Points show individual participants’ performance. Dashed line indicates chance performance.

Figure 5

Schematic illustration from the perspective of the participant, including placement of frames and boxes. (a) example of trials in which perceptual access is indicated by opaque (yellow) and semi-opaque (blue) screens, as in all pre-switch trials and the first three switch trials; (b) example of trials in which perceptual access is indicated by the informants facing or not facing the critical event (i.e., the ignorant informant faced away), as in the final two switch trials. The stages illustrated are: (1) start of the trial, (2a) screens placed in front of informants, (b) ignorant informant turns away, (3) opaque (yellow) screen occludes participant’s view, behind the screen two boxes (one containing Lego) are mixed around and closed, (4a) screens removed, (b) ignorant informant turns back around, (5) participant selects informant, reward revealed or not revealed depending on phase and selection.