3-006 - Promoting children's beliefs in counter-intuitive and counter-perceptual aspects of the biological and physical world

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

Counterintuitive and counter-perceptual aspects of the biological and physical world are, by their nature, not readily apparent. Thus, when learning about these natural phenomena, children must rely on the testimony of others (Lane&Harris, 2014) or engage in active exploration to uncover non-obvious facts (Schulz&Bonawitz, 2007). In this symposium, we explore how different forms of testimony influence children’s beliefs in the counterintuitive and counter-perceptual, whether children seek additional evidence following counterintuitive claims, and examine the combined effects of testimony and exploration on children’s belief revision. We present research across various age groups – preschool, elementary school, and secondary school, from two cultures – the US and China, conducted in diverse settings – a laboratory, a school, and a museum. Paper 1 investigates what sort of testimony most effectively teaches children about the spread of (invisible, counter-perceptual) infectious diseases--testimony focusing on the decision of a character to interact with a sick person or testimony focusing on the outcome of that interaction. Paper 2 asks whether preschool and elementary-school children seize opportunities to seek empirical evidence following a counterintuitive claim about the relation between size and weight, and explores how both testimony and children’s exploration influence children’s beliefs. Paper 3 investigates what features of early adolescents’ (and adults’) exploration of an exhibit on evolution and health increases their acceptance of the role of a counterintuitive process (natural selection) in current health issues. Together, these papers illuminate how children evaluate and acquire counterintuitive and counter-perceptual information about the biological and physical world.

Sub Unit

• Cognitive Processes

Chairs

• Samuel Ronfard, Harvard University

• Jonathan D. Lane, Vanderbilt University

Individual Presentations

• Reasoning about the process of illness transmission improves preschooler's later avoidance of sick individuals - Katy-Ann Blacker, Rutgers University; Presenting Author: Joseph Colantonio, Rutgers University; Vanessa LoBue, Rutgers University; Elizabeth Bonawitz, Rutgers University

• Chinese children’s search for empirical evidence following a counter-intuitive claim - Presenting Author: Samuel Ronfard, Harvard University; Eva E Chen, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; Sze Long Poon, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; Kong Yan Christine Tong, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; The Chinese University of Hong Kong; Paul Lansley Harris, Harvard Graduate School of Education

• Counting on Counterintuitive Concepts to Make Museum Exhibits Meaningful - Presenting Author: E. Margaret Evans, University of Michigan; Sasha Palmquist, Palmquist & Associates; Martin Weiss, New York Hall of Science