How do things work?

7- to 10-year-old children

This study will take place on a video call, live with a researcher! Clicking on the “Schedule a time to participate” button will send you to an online calendar where you can select a date and time that works for you. Your child will be asked questions about how they think about their knowledge and how they learn new information from others. Your child will also be asked to rate their knowledge about how 8 common items work and to explain how a few of them work. Your child will then watch a few short videos (e.g., an elephant who appears about to step into a big puddle) and will be asked how curious they are to see what will happen next.

We are interested in how children think about what they know and do not know. In everyday life, people sometimes feel confident that they understand how things work, only to discover that their understanding is less complete than they thought. Previous research has shown this pattern in adults, but less is known about how children recognize gaps in their own knowledge and how this relates to learning and curiosity. In this project, children will answer questions about their knowledge, rate and explain how some everyday objects work, learn new information about some objects, and indicate how curious they are to see what happens next in short scenarios. By comparing children’s judgments of their own knowledge with their explanations and responses to new information, the results from this project will help us better understand how children recognize gaps in their own knowledge and how this awareness supports learning and curiosity.

25 minutes

We will email you a $5 Amazon.com gift card within 7 business days of your participation. To be eligible for the gift card, your child must meet all eligibility criteria (e.g., be in the age range for this study, be able to hear the experimenter and follow verbal instructions, and be visible during the duration of the experiment). Limit one gift card per child.