ERIC Number: EJ1004006
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013-Apr
Pages: 23
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0272-930X
EISSN: N/A
Essentialist Reasoning and Knowledge Effects on Biological Reasoning in Young Children
Herrmann, Patricia A.; French, Jason A.; DeHart, Ganie B.; Rosengren, Karl S.
Merrill-Palmer Quarterly: Journal of Developmental Psychology, v59 n2 Article 5 p198-220 Apr 2013
Biological kinds undergo a variety of changes during their life span, and these changes vary in degree by organism. Understanding that an organism, such as a caterpillar, maintains category identity over its life span despite dramatic changes is a key concept in biological reasoning. At present, we know little about the developmental trajectory of children's understanding of dramatic life-cycle changes and how this might relate to their understanding of evolution. We suggest that this understanding is a key precursor to later understanding of evolutionary change. Two studies examined the impact of age and knowledge on children's biological reasoning about living kinds that undergo a range of natural life-span changes--from subtle to dramatic. The participants, who were 3, 4, and 7 years old, were shown paired pictures of juvenile and adult animals and asked to endorse biological or nonbiological causal mechanisms to account for life-span change. Additionally, reasoning of 3- and 4-year-old participants was compared before and after exposure to caterpillars transforming into butterflies. The results are framed in terms of a developmental trajectory in essentialist reasoning, a cognitive bias that has been associated with difficulties in understanding and accepting evolution. (Contains 1 table, 3 figures, and 1 footnote.)
Descriptors: Logical Thinking, Knowledge Level, Age Differences, Biology, Evolution, Change, Scientific Concepts, Preschool Children, Elementary School Students, Grade 1, Child Development, Pretests Posttests
Wayne State University Press. The Leonard N. Simons Building, 4809 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI 48201-1309. Tel: 800-978-7323; Fax: 313-577-6131; Web site: http://wsupress.wayne.edu/journals/merrill/merrillj.html
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Elementary Education; Grade 1; Preschool Education; Primary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: New York
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A