Katharina Buczek
And since this behavior was so replicable, the research team began to wonder what caused this decision process. After all, the kids knew that there was definitely a prize located in the single container.
Yet, they mentally simulated the prize being in one of the other two paired containers. Then, since they were unable to use possibility concepts, the children regarded this simulation as a concrete fact rather than a possibility.
So, the scientists hypothesized three different ways in which this computational error could have been caused.
First, the children might favor the left or right side. Second, the toddlers might only be able to focus on one prize during the experiment set-up phase. Finally, the children might have just been choosing prizes completely at random.
Then, through three studies, the researchers set out to test their hypotheses.
Study 1
The researchers first conducted a study intended to replicate their earlier findings: the fact that 3-year-olds choose the correct container 60% of the time.
So, a group of 3-year-olds participated in a total of four test trials– selecting one box in order to receive whatever was inside. These results were very similar to the previous study.
However, after analyzing the results using a Bayesian generalized linear mixed model, the team concluded that the toddlers were not choosing containers at random.
In turn, the team’s following two studies were performed to judge three different hypotheses. First, young children do deploy possibility concepts.
Second, that children deploy minimal possibility representations. And third, that toddlers use these low-level strategies during a three-container task.
