Young Children’s Selective Trust: Does Seeing Indicate Knowing?

Abstract

The present study investigated whether young children trust selectively by considering why others may provide inaccurate information. Previous research indicates that children select others who are reliable as informants. However, it is unknown whether children consider the reasons for other's inaccuracy in situations where the speaker's response tendency is consistent. In this study, children (N = 40) aged 3 to 6 years chose who to trust between two inaccurate informants. One informant was inaccurate because of wearing a blindfold, whereas the other was inaccurate for no obvious reason. Children didn't show a preference for either informant. Furthermore, it was revealed that age differences were material in understanding the relationship between information access and the speaker's accuracy. This finding supports the contention that children do not consider why informants may be inaccurate when choosing whom to trust.