Abstract
EXTENSIVE EVIDENCE OF ESSENTIALIST thinking in children emphasises cognitive processes with little attention paid to social contexts. The experimental study reported in this paper follows a recent trend in social psychology of integrating theories of essentialism and social categorisation by investigating four-year-olds' (n = 64) responses to novel social stimuli. Biological and environmental/social aspects of essentialism were both manipulated and measured to investigate how contextual changes interact with children's understanding. Consistent with our predictions, children demonstrated variability in essentialist thinking that was, somewhat surprisingly, stronger on the biological measures. Our results add to a growing body of evidence demonstrating the active role played by young children in interpreting their social world.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
