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DO YOUNG CHILDREN ALWAYS SAY YES TO YES-NO QUESTIONS'? A Metadevelopmsntal ... PDF

80 Pages·2001·3.25 MB·English
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DO YOUNG CHILDREN ALWAYS SAY YES TO YES-NO QUESTIONS'? A Metadevelopmsntal Study of the Affirmation Bias VICTORIA HEATHER FRITZLEY .A thesis subrnitted to the Depanment of Psychology in conformity with the rcquirernents for the degree of Master of Arts Quren's University Kingston. Ontario. Canada Srptember 6.2000 copyright O Victoria Heather Fritzlry. September 2000 I*I National Library Bibliothèque nationale of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographic Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington OttawaON K1AON4 Ottawa ON KIA ON4 Canada Canada Your fik Votre reference Our fi& Notre referma The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant à la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sel1 reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of thts thesis in rnicrofonn, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/film, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in ths thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts from it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. A bstract The presrnt studies investigated whether a response bias evists in 2- to 5-year-olds when they are asked yes/no questions. In Experiment 1. children were asked both comprehensi ble and incomprehensible yesho questions concerning familiiir and iinfiimiliar objects. Comprehensible questions cire questions that young children hnvr no probleni understanding whilc incomprehensible questions are questions thüt contain 'nonsenseg words. In Experiment 2. children wrre asked both comprehensiblç iind incomprehensible questions concrrning rxpected and unrxpectrd actions pcrfomird with only kimiliar objects. Expscted actions are actions thiit iire commonly associiitrd with ii panicular object <cg.b ouncing a bail) whilr unexpected actions are actions thüt cire riirely if ever perfomrd with ü panicular objecr k g . kicking a toothbnish ). With rcspect to cornprehensible questions. Experiment I revealcd that 2-yenr-olds displayed an aftïmation bias in response to questions conceming both familiar and unfümiliar objrcts whilt: 3-year-olds only displayrd an affirmation bias in response to thosc concerning unfamiliür objects. In response to questions concrming familiar objects. 3-year-olds did not demonstrate any response bias at all. Four- and 5-year-olds did not demonstriitc any response bias at al1 in response to comprehensible questions. With respect to the incomprehensible questions. 7-year-olds drmonstrated an affirmation biüs in response to questions conceming both familiar and unfamiliar objects. Three-yrar-olds did not demonsrrate n bias at al\ when asked questions concernins unhmiliar objects. but showctd a significant disconfirmation bias when asked questions concerning hmiliar objects. Four- and 5-year-oids displayed a significant disconfirmation bias when answering . , 1 i incomprehensible questions concerning both types of objects. Exprriment 2 revealed thiit with respect to the comprehrnsible questions. 2-year-oids demonstratrd Lin iiffirmation bias whilr the 3-. 4-. and 5-year-olds did not display any responsr bias at dl. With respect to the incomprehensible questions. 2-ycar-olds demonstrated an affirmation bias rvhile the 3-. 4-. and 5-year-olds drmonstrüted a disconfirmation bias. The findiriss from the presrnt studies have implications for the development of a proprr methodology for qwstioning children and nlso for obtaining children's testimony in the çounroom. Acknowledgements There are many people who want to thank for their involvement in this projcct. First and foremost are Drs. Kang Lee and Rod Lindsay. without whom this project would not have bern staned. let alone çornplrted. I would also like to thünk the mcmbers of my cornmittee. Drs. Darwin Muir and Lee Fabrigar. for thrir valuable sugptions borh during the conception phase of this project and üiso durins my rnany unplünned visits to their offices. 1 would dso like to extend many thiinks to Dr. Lürry Symons and Jtinc Leach who have always bern willing to answer my questions. no matter how trivial. On a more personitl note. 1 would like to pive thanks to rny family for their nevrr- endinz love and support. Without them. [ would never have haci the strength to b ücconiplish as much as 1 have. 1 would also like to thank niy Iüb-niates. Jiinst. Ale. Victoria. and Mnyu for thrir many helpful suggestions and for their puttins up with rny many strünge habits. Thanks also to my frirnds Kirstrn. Tony. and Angrla - withoiit y u . 1 would be lost in a statistical nightmare. To the parents. teachers. and rspecidly the young children who took pan in my research: Thünk you so much for your participation and for your rndless smiles. Chapter 4: General Discussion .......................................................... 42 Re ferences ................................................................................. 54 Appendices ................................................................................ 29 Vitae ........................................................................................ 73 List of Tables Table 1 Percent of "yes" and "no" responses to the Yrs and No questions and rneans (standard deviations) of Rrsponse Bias Scores in Experiment 1 . . .. . .. . . . . . . . . . . .. .. . 16 Table 2. Mrans (Standard Devilitions) of Replication Scores in Experinirnt 2 (müx. = 1 and min. = O}.. ... . .. .. . . . . . ... . . . ... ... ... . . . .. .. .. .. . ... .. ..... .. ..... .. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 3 1 Table 3. Percent of "yrs" and "no" responses to the Yes and No qiirstions and merins t standard deviations ) of Response Bias Scores in Experimcnt 2.. .. . .. . . . . . . .. . .. .. . 11 List of Figures Figure I blran Response Biüs Scores in Experiment 1 ...... ............... ....... ..... 24 Figure 2. Melin Response Bias Scores in Experiment 2 ...... ........ ... .... ... ... .. .. . . -39 List of Appendices Appendix A Parental Consent Forms.. ......................................................... 59 Appendis B Source Tables for Experimrnt 1 ................................................. 62 hpprndix C Questions askrd in Experiment I ................................................ 64 Appendix D Source Tables for Experiment 2 ................................................. 67 hppendix E Questions asked in Expcriment 2 ................................................ 69 Appcndix F Ethics Approval F m I hçet.. ................................................... 7 1

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de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced .. simply be that children prefer to say "no" al1 of the timr (ç.2. to show noncomp1i;incr). The widely
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