Any way the wind blows: Children's inferences about force and motion events

Nathan R George; Tilbe Göksun; Kathy Hirsh-Pasek; Roberta Michnick Golinkoff

doi:10.1016/j.jecp.2018.08.002

Any way the wind blows: Children's inferences about force and motion events

J Exp Child Psychol. 2019 Jan:177:119-131. doi: 10.1016/j.jecp.2018.08.002. Epub 2018 Sep 3.

Authors

Nathan R George¹, Tilbe Göksun², Kathy Hirsh-Pasek³, Roberta Michnick Golinkoff⁴

Affiliations

¹ Gordon F. Derner School of Psychology, Adelphi University, Garden City, NY 11530, USA. Electronic address: ngeorge@adelphi.edu.
² Department of Psychology, Koç University, Istanbul 34450, Turkey.
³ Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA.
⁴ School of Education and Departments of Psychology and Linguistics, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA.

PMID: 30189297
DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2018.08.002

Abstract

Göksun, George, Hirsh-Pasek, and Golinkoff (2013) used force dynamics, or the semantic categories defined by spatial arrays of forces, to study the development of preschoolers' predictions about the outcomes of forces working in concert. The current study extends this approach to problems requiring inferences about causal factors. In total, 30 5- and 6-year-old children were asked to identify and coordinate forces to achieve a result. Problems varied in the number and orientation of forces, mirroring spatial arrays characteristic of categories like prevent (i.e., opposing forces). Children successfully inferred causes of single- and dual-force events, performing best when problems reflected the spatial arrays of forces described in language. Results support force dynamics as a valuable framework for the development of force and motion representations.

Keywords: Causal perception; Causal reasoning; Cognitive semantics; Force and motion; Force dynamics; Inference.

Publication types

Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Child
Child, Preschool
Female
Humans
Male
Motion*
Neuropsychological Tests
Problem Solving*
Wind*