Abstract
We used the diffusion chain method in order to investigate whether irrelevant actions would be transmitted along chains of 3- and 5-year-old children. Four chains of eight children witnessed a trained "expert" child perform a sequence of actions in order to retrieve a reward from either a transparent or an opaque puzzle box. The action sequence involved both goal relevant and goal irrelevant actions. In the transparent box chains the participants could potentially determine which of the actions were irrelevant as the causal effects were clearly visible. Results indicated that irrelevant actions transmitted down chains of 3-year-old children irrespective of box transparency. In contrast, irrelevant actions dropped out of the transparent box chain extremely quickly at 5 years, but were maintained within the opaque chain. These findings highlight the power of the diffusion chain method as a tool for exploring cultural learning. © 2009 Psychology Press.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 561-577 |
| Number of pages | 17 |
| Journal | European Journal of Developmental Psychology |
| Volume | 7 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2010 |
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Keywords
- Children
- Diffusion chain
- Emulation
- Imitation
- Social learning
- Transmission
Cite this
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Cultural transmission of irrelevant tool actions in diffusion chains of 3- and 5-year-old children. / McGuigan, Nicola; Graham, Murray.
In: European Journal of Developmental Psychology, Vol. 7, No. 5, 2010, p. 561-577.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - Cultural transmission of irrelevant tool actions in diffusion chains of 3- and 5-year-old children
AU - McGuigan, Nicola
AU - Graham, Murray
PY - 2010
Y1 - 2010
N2 - We used the diffusion chain method in order to investigate whether irrelevant actions would be transmitted along chains of 3- and 5-year-old children. Four chains of eight children witnessed a trained "expert" child perform a sequence of actions in order to retrieve a reward from either a transparent or an opaque puzzle box. The action sequence involved both goal relevant and goal irrelevant actions. In the transparent box chains the participants could potentially determine which of the actions were irrelevant as the causal effects were clearly visible. Results indicated that irrelevant actions transmitted down chains of 3-year-old children irrespective of box transparency. In contrast, irrelevant actions dropped out of the transparent box chain extremely quickly at 5 years, but were maintained within the opaque chain. These findings highlight the power of the diffusion chain method as a tool for exploring cultural learning. © 2009 Psychology Press.
AB - We used the diffusion chain method in order to investigate whether irrelevant actions would be transmitted along chains of 3- and 5-year-old children. Four chains of eight children witnessed a trained "expert" child perform a sequence of actions in order to retrieve a reward from either a transparent or an opaque puzzle box. The action sequence involved both goal relevant and goal irrelevant actions. In the transparent box chains the participants could potentially determine which of the actions were irrelevant as the causal effects were clearly visible. Results indicated that irrelevant actions transmitted down chains of 3-year-old children irrespective of box transparency. In contrast, irrelevant actions dropped out of the transparent box chain extremely quickly at 5 years, but were maintained within the opaque chain. These findings highlight the power of the diffusion chain method as a tool for exploring cultural learning. © 2009 Psychology Press.
KW - Children
KW - Diffusion chain
KW - Emulation
KW - Imitation
KW - Social learning
KW - Transmission
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77956521894&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/17405620902858125
DO - 10.1080/17405620902858125
M3 - Article
VL - 7
SP - 561
EP - 577
JO - European Journal of Developmental Psychology
JF - European Journal of Developmental Psychology
SN - 1740-5629
IS - 5
ER -