Do children prefer to explore toys that provide clear evidence?

Previous research shows that children often explore toys in ways that help them figure out cause and effect relationships. However it is not always possible to figure out exactly how a toy works.

This study asks: Do children prefer playing with a toy for which they can gather evidence to figure out how it works, or a similar toy where the exact causes for effects cannot be figured out?

Does imitating an adult’s actions limit children’s spontaneous exploration during play?

It is no surprise that children learn quickly by watching others, but previous research has shown that children are also good at spontaneously generating their own evidence during play.

This study asks: how do children’s desires to imitate a teacher affect their ability to learn on their own during play?

Do children play more when evidence is not clear?

It is widely believed that children learn by playing, but how does this happen? This study asks: do children play in more diverse ways with a toy when it is not clear which cause, among several possible causes, makes the toy 'go'.

Does competition affect children’s reasoning?

Previous research indicates that until around age 8, children typically do not control variables in experiments as scientists do. This study investigates whether children have the ability to control variables at a younger age, if given the proper context.

Do children reason like adults?

Research has shown that adults prefer the simplest explanation with the fewest causes to explanations that are more probable, but more complex. This study asks: do children use the same reasoning?

How do children's explanations affect their beliefs about the world?

This study examines how children's explanations may help them learn about other people's minds. We use a "false belief task", which explores whether children understand that a person can hold a belief about the world that is not true.

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 considers whether toddlers use cues from adults to understand cause and effect relationships.

How do children’s theories about the world affect their play?

This study investigates whether children who have different theories will choose to play with the same toy in different ways.

How does an object’s name affect children’s expectations during play?

This study asks: Do children explore more when the evidence they see conflicts with their assumptions about the physical properties of an object, based on the name the object is called?

Do children play more when evidence is not clear?

This study asks if preschool children recognize there is something to “figure out” about a toy whose cause and effect relationships are not presented clearly.