This article examines how language affects children's inferences about novel social categories. We hypothesized that lexicalization (using a noun label to refer someone who possesses certain property) would influence other people. Specifically, we when property is lexicalized, it thought be more stable over time and contexts. One hundred fifteen children (5- 7-year-olds) learned characteristic of hypothetical person (e.g., “Rose eats lot carrots”). Half the were told for each character “She...

Motivational helplessness, linked to conceptions of intelligence, has been well documented in older children. While some researchers have reported that children just starting school are motivationally invulnerable, others found evidence helplessness when these encounter failure. The present study seeks determine whether the reactions associated with can be identified a new context, criticism, and any such responses related child's goodness. Subjects were 107 5- 6-year-old who enacted...

Young children's beliefs about the relationship between gender and aggression were examined across 3 studies ( N =121). In Study 1, preschoolers (ages to 5) described relational as most common form of among girls physical boys. 2, a comparison group 7‐ 8‐year‐olds likely infer that relationally aggressive characters are female physically male. revealed show systematic memory distortions when recalling stories conflict with these schemas. These findings suggest even before children reach...

Preschool-age children's reasoning about the reliability of deceptive sources was investigated. Ninety 3- to 5-year-olds watched several trials in which an informant gave advice location a hidden sticker. Informants were either helpers who happy give correct advice, or trickers incorrect advice. Three-year-olds tended accept all from both and trickers. Four-year-olds more skeptical but showed no preference for over trickers, even though they differentiated between on metacognitive measures....

Abstract The present study examined whether having a positive reputation to maintain makes young children less likely cheat. Cheating was assessed through temptation resistance paradigm in which participants were instructed not cheat guessing game. Across three studies (total N = 361), preschool‐aged randomly assigned either condition, an experimenter told them that she had learned of their from classmates, or control condition they received no such information. By age 5, the cheated often...

The release of ChatGPT in late 2022 prompted widespread concern about the implications artificial intelligence for academic integrity, but thus far there has been little direct empirical evidence to inform this debate. Participants (69 high school teachers, 140 students, total <a:math xmlns:a="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M1"> <a:mi>N</a:mi> <a:mo>=</a:mo> <a:mn>209</a:mn> </a:math> ) took an AI Identification Test which they read pairs essays—one written by a student and other...

Three studies investigated children's capacity to use trait labels as tools for making inferences about mental states. For example, knowledge that a story character is “nice” opposed “mean” could lead predictions the would respond with greater negative affect upon discovering his or her action had made someone upset. Study 1 ( N = 48) examined whether participants (kindergartners, second graders, fifth and adults) make different psychological based on was labeled versus “mean.” 2 30) same...

Essentialism is the belief that certain characteristics (of individuals or categories) may be relatively stable, unchanging, likely to present at birth, and biologically based. The current studies examined how different essentialist beliefs interrelate. For example, does thinking a property innate imply cannot changed? Four were conducted, examining children ( N =195, grades 1–7; ages 7–13) adults =187) reason about familiar novel social characteristics. By 3rd grade (9 years), showed some...

A key component of critical thinking is the ability to evaluate statements other people. Because information that obtained from others not always accurate, it important children learn reason about critically. By as early age 3, understand people sometimes communicate inaccurate and some individuals are more reliable sources than others. However, in many contexts, even older fail Recent research points role social experience explaining why often engage reasoning.

Abstract Children's reasoning about lying and truth‐telling was examined among participants ages 7–11 (total N = 181) with reference to conflicts between being honest protecting the feelings of others. In Study 1, showed different patterns evaluation motivational inference in politeness contexts vs. transgression contexts: contexts, they rated lie‐telling more favorably were far likely assume that motives prosocial. 2, evaluated positively negatively especially when focused on implications...

The present research investigated the nature of inferences and decisions young children make about informants with a prior history inaccuracies. Across three experiments, 3- 4-year-olds (total N = 182) reacted to previously inaccurate who offered testimony in an object-labeling task. Of central interest was children's willingness accept information provided by informant different contexts being alone, paired accurate informant, or novel (neutral) informant. Experiments 1 2 showed that when...

This research used an Implicit Racial Bias Test to investigate implicit racial biases among 3‐ 5‐year‐olds and adult participants in China ( N = 213) Cameroon 257). In both cultures, displayed high levels of that remained stable between 3 5 years age. Unlike adults, young children's were unaffected by the social status other‐race groups. Also, unlike children overt explicit biases, these dissociated from their biases. The results provide strong evidence for early emergence point need reduce...

Two studies with preschool-age children examined the effectiveness of perceptual individuation training at reducing racial bias (Study 1, N = 32; Study 2, 56). We found that to individuate other-race faces resulted in a reduction implicit while mere exposure produced no such effect. also showed neither nor reduced explicit bias. Theoretically, our findings provide strong evidence for causal link between individual-level face processing and bias, are consistent newly proposed...

Abstract The ability of 3‐ and 4‐year‐old children to disregard advice from an overtly misleading informant was investigated across five studies (total n = 212). Previous have documented limitations in young children's reject advice. This study designed test the hypothesis that these are primarily due inability specific directions provided by others, rather than respond a way is opposite what has been indicated cue. In Studies 1 through 4, puppet identified as Big Bad Wolf offered...

Reasoning about ulterior motives was investigated among children ages 6-10 years (total N = 119). In each of two studies, participants were told who offered gifts to peers needed help. Each giver chose present a gift in either public setting, which is consistent with having an motive enhance one's reputation, or private not motive. study, the 6- 7-year olds showed no evidence understanding that givers might have motives, but 8- 10-year rated more favorably. , older likely than younger refer...

Abstract The release of ChatGPT in 2022 has generated extensive speculation about how Artificial Intelligence (AI) will impact the capacity institutions for higher learning to achieve their central missions promoting and certifying knowledge. Our main questions were whether people could identify AI-generated text factors such as expertise or confidence would predict this ability. present research provides empirical data inform these speculations through an assessment given a convenience...

The relation between the way in which children interpret human behavior and their beliefs about stability of traits is investigated. In interviews with 202 7‐ 8‐year‐olds across 2 studies, belief that are stable predicted a greater tendency to make trait judgments, an increased focus on outcomes behaviors through can be judged. academic domain, was associated emphasis evaluative meanings performance outcomes, as opposed mediating processes such effort. sociomoral same (e.g., whether person...

When individuals reason in an essentialist way about social categories, they assume that group differences reflect inherently different natures (Gelman, 2003; Rothbart & Taylor, 1992). This paper describes the psychological and implications of beliefs, examines extent to which children exhibit essentialism when reasoning gender. The authors discuss reasons young as well older show some contexts, but not others. Finally, suggest directions for future research, a primary challenge many working...

Abstract Although children over eight years of age appear to view others in dispositional terms, findings for kindergarten are mixed. Few studies have examined thinking younger than kindergarteners. The present addressed two questions about trait conceptions 4‐ and 5‐year‐old preschoolers'. (1). Do this use past behaviors predict future behavior si (2) they show evidence global evaluative thinking, such that generalize information one domain make predictions other domains'? Three...

Young children's reasoning about ability was investigated among 155 preschoolers ( M =4 years, 10 months) across 3 studies. Results suggest that are sensitive to mental state information when making judgments another child's ability: They judged a child who finds task easy be smarter than one the same hard. Systematic patterns of errors on recall tasks perceive positive correlations between (a) exerting effort and experiencing academic success, (b) being nice having high ability. from...