The beginnings of tool innovation in human ontogeny: how three- to five-year-olds solve the vertical and horizontal tube task
This study focuses on tool innovation in preschoolers. It extends previous work by investigating task- and age-related changes in success rates, latency to success, and solution strategies. Three- to five-year-olds had 10 min to retrieve a toy from either a horizontal or a vertical tube by manufactu...
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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article (Journal) |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
28 April 2021
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| In: |
Cognitive development
Year: 2021, Volume: 58, Pages: 1-20 |
| ISSN: | 0885-2014 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.cogdev.2021.101049 |
| Online Access: | Verlag, lizenzpflichtig, Volltext: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogdev.2021.101049 Verlag, lizenzpflichtig, Volltext: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0885201421000447 
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| Author Notes: | Sabine Breyel, Sabina Pauen |
| Summary: | This study focuses on tool innovation in preschoolers. It extends previous work by investigating task- and age-related changes in success rates, latency to success, and solution strategies. Three- to five-year-olds had 10 min to retrieve a toy from either a horizontal or a vertical tube by manufacturing a tool from multiple materials. In the Horizontal Tube Task, success rates were high irrespective of age. Solution strategies revealed mainly second-order innovation (i.e., manipulating materials while retrieving the toy). In the Vertical Tube Task, success rates increased with age and solution strategies reflected mainly first-order innovation (i.e., manufacturing the tool before trying to retrieve the toy). In the Vertical Tube Task, children needed more time to find a solution, with first-order innovation tending to be faster than second-order innovation. These findings demonstrate the potential of young preschoolers to innovate tools when given enough time, but also a high task-dependency of performance. |
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| Item Description: | Gesehen am 01.07.2021 |
| Physical Description: | Online Resource |
| ISSN: | 0885-2014 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.cogdev.2021.101049 |