ERIC Number: EJ1431627
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 7
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: EISSN-2056-7936
No Guts, No Glory: Underestimating the Benefits of Providing Children with Mechanistic Details
Aaron Chuey; Amanda McCarthy; Kristi Lockhart; Emmanuel Trouche; Mark Sheskin; Frank Keil
npj Science of Learning, v6 Article 30 2021
Previous research shows that children effectively extract and utilize causal information, yet we find that adults doubt children's ability to understand complex mechanisms. Since adults themselves struggle to explain how everyday objects work, why expect more from children? Although remembering details may prove difficult, we argue that exposure to mechanism benefits children via the formation of abstract causal knowledge that supports epistemic evaluation. We tested 240 6-9 year-olds' memory for concrete details and the ability to distinguish expertise before, immediately after, or a week after viewing a video about how combustion engines work. By around age 8, children who saw the video remembered mechanistic details and were better able to detect car-engine experts. Beyond detailed knowledge, the current results suggest that children also acquired an abstracted sense of how systems work that can facilitate epistemic reasoning.
Descriptors: Attribution Theory, Memory, Children, Expertise, Video Technology, Engines, Age Differences, Motor Vehicles, Abstract Reasoning, Science Education, Learning Processes
Nature Portfolio. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://www.nature.com/npjscilearn/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Data File: URL: https://osf.io/dtzxy/?view_only=ec0a1bab92bc46ac9cc9e9ab0548c9d9