title: Young children's response tendencies toward yes-no questions concerning actions.
abstract: Two experiments investigated response tendencies of preschoolers toward yes-no questions about actions. Two hundred 2- to 5-year-old children were asked questions concerning actions commonly associated with particular objects (e.g., drinking from a cup) and actions not commonly associated with particular objects (e.g., kicking a toothbrush). The impact of delay and comprehension of questions were also investigated. Results revealed a consistent developmental transition: Younger children tended to display a yes bias whereas older children did not display a bias unless they faced incomprehensible questions, in which case they displayed a nay-saying bias. Delay shifted children's responses in such a way that "no" answers were given more often. These findings hold important implications regarding the use of yes-no questions with children.
authors.affiliation: Queen's University, Canada. vheather.fritzley@sheridanc.on.ca
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Heather Fritzley
authors.forename: Rod C L
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Lindsay
authors.forename: Kang
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D032882:Comprehension / Q000502:physiology*; D003210:Concept Formation / Q000502:physiology*; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male