Preschoolers' Understanding of Wishing and Magical Events

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  • Tsukakoshi Nami
    Graduate School of Cultural Studies & Human Science, Kobe University

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  • 幼児期における願いごとに関する理解 : 「魔術的」に見える現象をどのように理解するのか?
  • ヨウジキ ニ オケル ネガイ ゴト ニ カンスル リカイ マジュツテキ ニ ミエル ゲンショウ オ ドノヨウニ リカイスルノカ

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Abstract

Participants were 126 preschoolers, ages 4-, 5-, and 6-years old (42 children in each age group). After watching an object appear in a box, seemingly brought about by the child's wishing, each child was observed alone in a playroom. As to children's verification of the possibility of reproducing the preceding event, a Chi-square analysis with logistic transformation was conducted on whether children initiated several wishing actions, and whether they checked the box for tricks. The percentages of children showing both or either of these behaviors were 26% of 4-year olds, 64% of 5-year olds, and 71% of 6-year olds. Specifically, the proportions of older children who initiated their own wishing and who showed both initiated wishing and checked for tricks were greater than the proportions for 4-year olds. These age differences may be explained in terms of the presence vs. absence of hypothesis testing, as older children went beyond a simple belief in magical causality.

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