Differences in Response Bias Among Younger and Older Preschoolers

Abstract

Groups of children in Japan and Hungary aged 2 to 5 years were asked yes-no questions pertaining to familiar and unfamiliar objects by either strange adults or mothers. In Experiment 1, 3- to 5-year-old Japanese and Hungarian children were interviewed by strange adults, and 3-year-olds in both countries exhibited a yes bias for familiar objects. Japanese 3-year-olds exhibited a yes bias for unfamiliar objects as well. Japanese 4- and 5-year-olds exhibited a yes bias for familiar objects, whereas Hungarian 4- and 5-year-olds exhibited a nay-saying bias for unfamiliar objects. In Experiment 2, Hungarian 2-year-olds exhibited a yes bias for both familiar and unfamiliar objects when asked by strange adults. In Experiment 3, Japanese 3-year-olds exhibited a yes bias for both familiar and unfamiliar objects, whereas 4-year-olds did not exhibit it for familiar objects and exhibited a nay-saying bias for unfamiliar objects when they were asked by mothers. The results suggest that young preschoolers have a common mechanism for exhibiting a yes bias, but older preschoolers may have other reasons to exhibit response biases.