How Toddlers Acquire and Transfer Tool Knowledge: Developmental Changes and the Role of Executive Functions.

Abstract

This report investigates tool learning and its relations to executive functions (EFs) in toddlers. In Study 1 (N=93), 18-, 20-, 22-, and 24-month-old children learned equally well to choose a correct tool from observation, whereas performance based on feedback improved with age. Knowledge transfer showed significant progress after 22months of age: Older children ignored irrelevant features more easily and adjusted their behavior more flexibly. Study 2 (N=62) revealed that spontaneous transfer in 22- to 24-month-olds was related to set-shifting skills and response inhibition. Flexible adaptation to feedback correlated with working-memory capacity. These findings suggest that toddlerhood is a highly dynamic phase of tool learning and that EFs are related to transfer performance at this age.