title: You seem certain but you were wrong before: developmental change in preschoolers' relative trust in accurate versus confident speakers.
abstract: The present study tested how preschoolers weigh two important cues to a person's credibility, namely prior accuracy and confidence, when deciding what to learn and believe. Four- and 5-year-olds (N=96) preferred to believe information provided by a confident rather than hesitant individual; however, when confidence conflicted with accuracy, preschoolers increasingly favored information from the previously accurate but hesitant individual as they aged. These findings reveal an important developmental progression in how children use others' confidence and prior accuracy to shape what they learn and provide a window into children's developing social cognition, scepticism, and critical thinking.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brosseau-Liard
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Tracy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Cassels
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Birch
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D003463:Cues; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D012919:Social Behavior; D035502:Trust