Reflecting on Scientific Thinking: Children's Understanding of the Hypothesis-Evidence Relation |
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| Authors: | Ted Ruffman Josef Perner David R Olson Martin Doherty |
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| Institution: | University of Sussex;Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto;University of Sussex |
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| Abstract: | 3 experiments were carried out to examine children's understanding of the role of covariation evidence in hypothesis formation. Previous research suggested that it is not until 8 to 11 years of age that children begin to understand how a given pattern of covariation supports a particular hypothesis about which factor is causally responsible for an observed effect. Experiments 1 to 3 employed a different (fake evidence) technique than previous research and showed that by 6 years of age most children understand how evidence would lead a story character to form a different hypothesis than the subject's own. Experiment 3 showed that most 6- and young 7-year-olds understand how a character's future actions (e.g., choice of an object) and predictions of future outcomes depend on the hypothesis he or she holds. |
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