ERIC Number: EJ1106577
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0009-3920
EISSN: N/A
How Toddlers Acquire and Transfer Tool Knowledge: Developmental Changes and the Role of Executive Functions
Pauen, Sabina; Bechtel-Kuehne, Sabrina
Child Development, v87 n4 p1233-1249 Jul-Aug 2016
This report investigates tool learning and its relations to executive functions (EFs) in toddlers. In Study 1 (N = 93), 18-, 20-, 22-, and 24-month-old children learned equally well to choose a correct tool from observation, whereas performance based on feedback improved with age. Knowledge transfer showed significant progress after 22 months of age: Older children ignored irrelevant features more easily and adjusted their behavior more flexibly. Study 2 (N = 62) revealed that spontaneous transfer in 22- to 24-month-olds was related to set-shifting skills and response inhibition. Flexible adaptation to feedback correlated with working-memory capacity. These findings suggest that toddlerhood is a highly dynamic phase of tool learning and that EFs are related to transfer performance at this age.
Descriptors: Executive Function, Toddlers, Observation, Feedback (Response), Correlation, Knowledge Level, Transfer of Training, Child Behavior, Inhibition, Object Manipulation, Child Development, Technology Transfer, Foreign Countries
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Germany
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A