Four‐ to Six‐Year‐Old Children's Sensitivity to Reliability Versus Consensus in the Endorsement of Object Labels. Issue 4 (12th April 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bernard, Stéphane; Proust, Joëlle; Clément, Fabrice
• Is Part Of: Child development. Volume 86:Issue 4(2015)
• Page Start: 1112
• Page End: 1124
• Publication Date: 2015-04-12
• Subjects: Child development -- Periodicals; Child psychology -- Periodicals; Child Development -- Periodicals; Child Development; Pediatrics -- Periodicals; Pedicatrics; 305.231
• DOI: 10.1111/cdev.12366
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0009-3920

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" id="cdev12366-abs-0001"> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <p>Recent studies have demonstrated that young children use past reliability and consensus to endorse object labels. Until now, no study has investigated how children weigh these two cues when they are in conflict. The two experiments reported here were designed to explore whether any initial preference for information provided by a consensual group would be influenced by the group's subsequent unreliability. The results show that 4‐ and 5‐year‐old children were more likely to endorse labels provided by an unreliable but consensual group than the labels provided by a reliable dissenter. Six‐year‐olds displayed the reverse pattern. The article concludes by discussing the methodological implications of the two experiments and the developmental trajectory regarding the way children weigh consensuality versus reliability.</p> </abstract>