Two-year-olds use adults' but not peers' points.

Journal Article (Journal Article)

In the current study, 24- to 27-month-old children (N = 37) used pointing gestures in a cooperative object choice task with either peer or adult partners. When indicating the location of a hidden toy, children pointed equally accurately for adult and peer partners but more often for adult partners. When choosing from one of three hiding places, children used adults' pointing to find a hidden toy significantly more often than they used peers'. In interaction with peers, children's choice behavior was at chance level. These results suggest that toddlers ascribe informative value to adults' but not peers' pointing gestures, and highlight the role of children's social expectations in their communicative development.

Full Text

Duke Authors

Cited Authors

  • Kachel, G; Moore, R; Tomasello, M

Published Date

  • September 2018

Published In

Volume / Issue

  • 21 / 5

Start / End Page

  • e12660 -

PubMed ID

  • 29528166

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1467-7687

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 1363-755X

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1111/desc.12660

Language

  • eng