Understanding the Truth about Subjectivity

Abstract

Results of two experiments show children's understanding of diversity in personal preference is incomplete. Despite acknowledging diversity, in Experiment 1 (N = 108), six- and eight-year-old children were less likely than adults to see preference as a legitimate basis for personal tastes and more likely to say a single truth could be found about a matter of taste. In Experiment 2 (N = 96), seven- and nine-year-olds were less likely than 11- and 13-year-olds to say a dispute about a matter of preference might not be resolved. These data suggest that acceptance of the possibility of diversity does not indicate an adult-like understanding of subjectivity. An understanding of the relative emphasis placed on objective and subjective factors in different contexts continues to develop into adolescence.