title: The influences of goal-related action and goal information on children's perceptions of trying and wanting: an action-perception approach.
abstract: The influences of goal-related actions and goal information on children's try-and-want perceptions were investigated with an action-perception approach (i.e., Heider, 1958). Kindergartners, second graders, and fifth graders heard stories that depicted actors engaged in one action, that same action three times, or three equifinal actions to attain a positive or negative goal. The children rated how much actors tried and wanted to attain the goal. The findings indicate that the actors who engaged in only one action were perceived to have tried and wanted the least, and the actors who engaged in equifinal actions were perceived to have tried and wanted the most. The actors who engaged in one action were not significantly differentiated from those who engaged in repetitive actions. However, the actors who engaged in repetitive actions were significantly differentiated from those who engaged in equifinal actions. For try ratings only, the children made all expected differentiations of actors by goal-related action in negative goal conditions, whereas fewer differentiations were made of actors in positive goal conditions. Age-related findings indicate that only younger children perceived that the actors who pursued positive goals tried and wanted more than those who pursued negative goals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA.
authors.forename: E F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D007600:Judgment; D008297:Male; D010465:Perception; D002666:Psychology, Child