Psychological Development and Education ›› 2007, Vol. 23 ›› Issue (1): 6-9.

Previous Articles     Next Articles

The Analysis of Children’s Errors in Counterfactual Reasoning

ZHANG Kun   

  1. Department of Sociology, East China University of Politics and Law, Shanghai 201620
  • Online:2007-01-15 Published:2007-01-15

Abstract: 57 children aged 3 to 5 years were used as subjects to explore the performances of children in counterfactual reasoning and to explore if they made realististic errors.The result indicated that there was significant age difference in both 2-choice counterfactual task and 3-choice counterfactual tasks.Young children indeed made realistic errors in counterfactual reasoning.But they also chose the third location as their answers in 3-choice task.

Key words: kindergarten children, counterfactual reasoning, realististic errors

CLC Number: 

  • B844.12
[1] Byrne R M J.Mental models and counterfactual thoughts about what might have been.Trends in Cognitive Sciences,2002,6(10):426-431.
[2] Kavanaugh R D,Goodrich T,Harris P L.Counterfactual reasoning in two-year-olds.Paper presented at the Ⅶth European Conference on Developmental Psychology,Kraków,Poland,1995.
[3] Hadwin J,Bruins J.Imagining alternative outcomes:Counterfactual reasoning in children with autism.Unpublished manuscript,University of Essex,1997.
[4] Riggs K J,Peterson D M,Robinson E J,Mitchell P.Are errors in false belief tasks symptomatic of a broader difficulty with counterfactuality?Cognitive Development,1998,13,73-90.
[5] Riggs K J,Peterson D M.Counterfactual thinking in pre-school children:Mental state and causal inferences.In P.Mitchell & K.J.Riggs (Eds.),Children's reasoning and the mind (pp.87-99).Hove:Psychology Press,2000.
[6] Peterson.D,Riggs K J.Adaptive modelling and mindreading.Mind & Language,1999,14,80-112.
[7] Peterson D M,Bowler D M.Counterfactual reasoning and false belief understanding in children with autism.Autism,2000,4,391-405.
[8] Guajardo N R,Turley-Ames K J.Preschoolers' generation of different types of counterfactual statements and theory of mind understanding.Cognitive Development,2004,19,53-80.
[9] Robinson E J,Beck S.What is difficult about counterfactual reasoning.In P.Mitchell & K.J.Riggs (Eds.),Children's reasoning and the mind (pp.101-119).Hove,UK:Psychology Press,2000.
[10] 卿素兰,方富熹儿童反事实思维研究综述.湖北大学学报(哲学社会科学版),2004,31(4):470-473.
[11] Byrne R M J.Cognitive processes in counterfactual thinking about what might have been.In D.L.Medin (Ed.).The Psychology of Learning and Motivation,Advances in Research and Theory (Vol 37,pp.105-154).San Diego,CA:Academic Press,1997.
[1] TIAN Lili, ZHOU Xin, KANG Dan, XU Jingjing, LI Zhengqing. Executive Function in 5~6 Years Old Children with Different Mathematical Ability [J]. Psychological Development and Education, 2016, 32(1): 9-16.
[2] HAN Ying-hong, LIU Ni-na, YAN Guo-li, LIU Jian. Picture Book Reading under Two Reading Styles for the 3~4 Year-Old Kindergarten Children [J]. Psychological Development and Education, 2011, 27(4): 394-400.
[3] CHEN Qing-fei, LEI Yi, LI Hong. The Effect of Difference between Premises on Diversity-based Reasoning of Children [J]. Psychological Development and Education, 2010, 26(5): 457-464.
[4] WANG Jing, XIAO Xing-rong, CHEN Ying-he. Development of Young Children’s Antecedent Counterfactual Reasoning and Its Influencing Factors [J]. Psychological Development and Education, 2009, 25(4): 8-14,36.
Viewed
Full text


Abstract

Cited

  Shared   
  Discussed   
No Suggested Reading articles found!