Four-year-olds selectively transmit true information

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 18; no. 4; p. e0284694
• Main Authors: Pueschel, Ellyn B., Ibrahim, Ashley, Franklin, Taylor, Skinner, Samantha, Moll, Henrike
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 27.04.2023; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Age; Animal cognition; Audiences; Biology and Life Sciences; Child, Preschool; Children; Children & youth; Communication; Context; Demographic aspects; Evaluation; Expected utility; Experiments; Humans; Information management; Information sharing; Knowledge; People and Places; Research and Analysis Methods; Social aspects; Social Sciences; Theory of mind; United States
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0284694

Two experiments ( N = 112) were conducted to examine preschoolers’ concern for the truth when transmitting information. A first experiment (Pilot Experiment) revealed that 4-year-olds, but not 3-year-olds, selectively transmitted information marked as true versus information marked as false. The second experiment (Main Experiment) showed that 4-year-olds selectively transmitted true information regardless of whether their audience lacked knowledge (Missing Knowledge Context) or information (Missing Information Context) about the subject matter. Children selected more true information when choosing between true versus false information (Falsity Condition) and when choosing between true information versus information the truth of which was undetermined (Bullshit Condition). The Main Experiment also revealed that 4-year-olds shared information more spontaneously, i.e., before being prompted, when it was knowledge, rather than information, the audience was seeking. The findings add to the field’s growing understanding of young children as benevolent sharers of knowledge.