What conditions allow toddlers to learn cause and effect relationships?

Toddlers may be able to learn two events are associated, but toddlers may not understand that they can act on objects to produce an effect. This study considered whether toddlers use cues from adults to understand cause and effect relationships.

When do children over-imitate?

Children learn many rules from adults about the way things are done in their society, and will often repeat actions they see others perform to reach a goal. Some actions are necessary for the goal and others are not. This study asks: are there circumstances when children are more likely to over-imitate actions (i.e. repeat everything that they see) to reach a goal?

Do children copy adults to learn how things work?

Many people assume that children learn by imitating an adult’s purposeful actions. In this study, we are investigating how children single out an adult’s deliberate action from an unintentional action to learn how a toy works.

Do children recognize when evidence is the most informative?

Children learn a lot on their own from their exploration and play. A great deal of their learning also comes from teachers, both in school and from adults outside of the classroom.

In this study, we want to find out whether children are sensitive to the carefully-chosen evidence that a teacher gives.

How do children determine who is a good source of information?

Previous research shows that children prefer learning names and uses for new objects from a person who has provided accurate information, over someone who has made mistakes in the past.

This study asks whether children’s preferences are related only to the accuracy of an information source, or whether children will also accept information from a source who is generally “good” at something (i.e.: demonstrating physical strength).