Citation

Pillow BH. J. Genet. Psychol. 1999; 160(4): 419-428.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, De Kalb 60115, USA. pillow@niu.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 1999, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/00221329909595555

PMID

10584320

Abstract

The understanding of inference as a source of knowledge for 4- and 6-year-old children was investigated. Children and a puppet were shown 2 toys of different colors. The toys were hidden in separate plastic cans. After the puppet looked into 1 of the cans, 6-year-olds, but not 4-year-olds, usually judged that the puppet knew the color of the toy in the other can as well. The finding that 6-year-olds attributed inferential knowledge to another observer is interpreted as evidence that children begin to understand the role of cognitive processes in knowledge acquisition around the age of 6 years.

Language: en