Young infants' reasoning about hidden objects: Evidence from violation-of-expectation tasks with test trials only

Su Hua Wang, Renée Baillargeon, Laura Brueckner

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The present research examined alternative accounts of prior violation-of-expectation (VOE) reports that young infants can represent and reason about hidden objects. According to these accounts, young infants' apparent success in these VOE tasks reflects only novelty and familiarity preferences induced by the habituation or familiarization trials in the tasks. In two experiments, 4-month-old infants were tested in VOE tasks with test trials only. The infants still gave evidence that they could represent and reason about hidden objects: they were surprised, as indicated by greater attention, when a wide object became fully hidden behind a narrow occluder (Experiment 1) or inside a narrow container (Experiment 2). These and control results demonstrate that young infants can succeed at VOE tasks involving hidden objects even when given no habituation or familiarization trials. The present research thus provides additional support for the conclusion that young infants possess expectations about hidden objects. Methodological issues concerning the use of habituation or familiarization trials in VOE tasks are also discussed.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)167-198
Number of pages32
JournalCognition
Volume93
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2004

Keywords

  • Infants' physical reasoning
  • Novelty and familiarity preferences
  • Violation-of-expectation findings

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
  • Language and Linguistics
  • Developmental and Educational Psychology
  • Linguistics and Language
  • Cognitive Neuroscience

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Young infants' reasoning about hidden objects: Evidence from violation-of-expectation tasks with test trials only'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this