The roots of critical thinking: Selective learning strategies in childhood and their implications

Abstract

Long before formal education begins, young children learn from other people and from written and electronic media. Yet, with any second-hand information source, there is a danger of being misled by inaccurate claims. Far from being universally gullible, toddlers and preschool-age children possess both strengths and weaknesses in source evaluation. This paper summarizes research on children’s selective learning, or propensity to choose whether or not to accept information from different sources. To disseminate knowledge on these early abilities beyond cognitive-developmental researchers and to stimulate further research and the development of interventions, this review covers several areas including children’s understanding of knowledge, misleading information, their social biases and their learning from printed sources and media, as well as areas of ongoing research and future directions.