Eva Rafetseder, Kirsten Blakey, Brina Recelj, Chloe Dow, Zsófia Virányi and Giacomo Melis
Affiliation: University of Stirling, University of Toronto Mississauga, Kings College London, Kings College London, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, University of Stirling
Category: Psychology
Keywords: Belief revision, Undermining evidence, Rationality, Eye-tracking
Date: Friday 5th of September
Time: 14:30
Location: Room 232 (232)
View the full session: Deliberation
Young children revise their beliefs in response to new evidence (Kimura & Gopnik, 2019), often replacing an earlier belief with one better supported by that evidence. However, some philosophers argue that this type of belief replacement does not constitute rationality, as it lacks reflective thought. They claim that true rationality requires the ability to reflect on one’s beliefs and the reasons behind them. Traditionally, this capacity is thought to emerge around age six—often referred to as the "age of reason"—when children begin to answer "why" questions (Boyle, 2018). More recently, researchers have suggested that responding to undermining counterevidence—evidence that challenges the reasons supporting a belief, rather than the belief itself—may reflect a deeper level of reasoning, as it requires identifying and evaluating the underlying evidence (Melis & Monsó, 2023). However, research on children’s responses to this kind of counterevidence is still limited. Schleihauf et al. (2022) found that 4- to 5-year-old children were more likely to revise their beliefs when exposed to undermining evidence compared to positive evidence supporting an alternative belief. This suggests that children may be reflecting on the basis of their beliefs, providing early evidence for rational belief revision prior to the "age of reason." It also raises the possibility that even minimally verbal or non-verbal individuals may be capable of reflective belief revision. To explore this further, we conducted two studies examining children’s belief revision in response to verbal and non-verbal undermining counterevidence. Study 1 replicated and extended Schleihauf et al. (2022). Using the original materials, we presented 3- to 6-year-old children (N = 35) with initial evidence and asked them to state both their belief and their reasoning. They were then shown either positive or undermining evidence, followed by evidence suggesting an alternative belief, and asked again to report their belief. Consistent with previous findings, 4- to 6-year-olds were significantly more likely to revise their beliefs in response to undermining evidence. Data collection for 3-year-olds is ongoing, but preliminary results suggest a similar trend. Study 2 explored belief revision in 2- to 6-year-old children (N = 84) and adults (N = 23) using a minimally verbal eye-tracking version of the task. Verbal testimony was replaced with visual and auditory cues, while the original structure of the task remained. Although full analyses are still underway, preliminary results indicate that adults, like older children in Study 1, revised their beliefs significantly more often when presented with undermining evidence. Children showed an age-dependent interaction: 3- to 6-year-olds displayed the same pattern as adults (though to a lesser extent), while 2-year-olds showed the opposite pattern, suggesting that minimally verbal 2-year-olds may not yet engage in reflective belief revision. Together, these preliminary findings suggest that children as young as 3 years old are capable of reflective belief revision in response to both verbal and non-verbal undermining counterevidence—indicating that rational belief revision may emerge well before the traditionally proposed “age of reason.”