Master of Thy Fate? : The Role of Prior Success in Shaping Children's Illusory Control and Reliance on Informants in Novel Situations

Abstract

With increased access to information, children are required to filter information more frequently than ever. Although previous research has examined how children use the characteristics of others (e.g., such as confidence) to selectively learn, little is known about the role of children's own characteristics in selective learning. My thesis examines individual differences in children's illusory control, or overconfidence in their abilities, and its influence on their decision to engage in social learning. The Pilot Study aimed to develop a task to manipulate children's illusory control and assess its subsequent impact on their help requests towards an accurate informant. Based on pilot results, methodological changes were made for the next two studies. In Study 1, 5-year-olds first experienced success or failure at locating objects to manipulate their illusory control. Next, they chose whether to answer novel questions by themselves or with the help of a knowledgeable informant. In Study 2, 7- and 8-year-olds experienced the same manipulation and then answered novel questions, endorsing or omitting a teacher and search engine answers. Afterward, more novel questions were presented where children chose to answer on their own or with the help of one of the informants. Results revealed that children's prior success influenced their decision to trust the informants but only in the same domain as when they experienced their success or failure. On average, younger and older children requested help for half the questions. Overall, children did not demonstrate a preference for the teacher or the search engine; however, their choice was influenced by the success manipulation, the types of questions asked, and their levels of confidence. Other measures such as children's level of confidence in their learning skills and a parental measure of children's confidence and leadership attributes correlated with children's trust towards informants, indicating that individual factors might play an important role in children's decision to trust others and should be further explored. Overall, these studies emphasize the need for further investigation into individual differences, such as illusory control, in children's decisions to engage in social learning when presented with various types of informants.