Young children’s yes bias in response to tag questions

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe present study examined whether young children show any particular bias in response to tag questions. In addition, the study investigated the effects of age and object familiarity on children’s accuracy of responses. A total of 137 3–6-year-old children were asked a set of 32 tag questions pertaining to the properties and functions of both familiar and unfamiliar objects. The results of the study showed that children display a strong yes bias in response to tag questions; however, children’s bias lessened as their age increased. In addition, children’s bias was more pronounced when answering questions about familiar objects. The findings suggest that tag questions carry suggestibility load and may mislead young children’s responses. The implications of study for forensic investigations and developmental studies are discussed.