Tool selection based on rigidity in young childrena comparative approach

  1. Héctor M. Manrique 1
  2. Yurena Hernández-Gálvez 2
  3. Juan Hernández-Cabrera 2
  4. Carlos J. Álvarez 2
  1. 1 Universidad de Zaragoza
    info

    Universidad de Zaragoza

    Zaragoza, España

    ROR https://ror.org/012a91z28

  2. 2 Universidad de La Laguna
    info

    Universidad de La Laguna

    San Cristobal de La Laguna, España

    ROR https://ror.org/01r9z8p25

Journal:
Journal for the Study of Education and Development, Infancia y Aprendizaje

ISSN: 0210-3702 1578-4126

Year of publication: 2022

Volume: 45

Issue: 2

Pages: 382-412

Type: Article

More publications in: Journal for the Study of Education and Development, Infancia y Aprendizaje

Abstract

Fifty-one 23-to-55-month-old-infants faced two apparatuses that required the use of a rigid (box apparatus) or flexible (hose apparatus) stick-like tool to retrieve a toy stuck inside. Before attempting the extraction, however, they had to pick the only one tool (of three) on display that had the appropriate rigidity/flexibility to be effective. To inform their decisions, they could either manipulate the three tools themselves (haptic information) or observe the experimenter bending and unbending them for just five seconds each (visual information) before selection. Children found more difficulties in selecting appropriate flexible tools, as compared to rigid ones. Moreover, infants’ own haptic inspection of each tool did not significantly improve their selection accuracy, which indicates that observing the experimenter’s demonstration conveyed all the information required to make correct choices.

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