Children’s understanding of COVID-19: Acquiring knowledge about germs and contagion amidst a global pandemic

Abstract

This study aimed to shed light on the causal frameworks utilized by children (5-, 7-, and 9-year-olds; n = 92) and adults (n = 30) to understand the transmission of COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants’ use of two prominent causal frameworks was examined: (1) a mechanical framework appealing to germ transfer and internalization (e.g., “Breathing people’s air sends germs into your body”), and (2) a biological framework appealing to the notion that germs are living things (e.g., “The virus lives and multiplies inside the body”). Results showed that participants at all ages relied on the mechanical framework to explain the transmission of COVID-19. Adults also invoked the biological framework in their explanations; however, 5- to 9-year-olds showed little evidence of biological reasoning. Findings are interpreted in terms of the potential role of the COVID-19 pandemic in shaping children’s knowledge and the implications of these findings for health and safety.