A cross-cultural investigation of young children’s spontaneous invention of tool use behaviours
- Neldner, Karri, Reindl, Eva, Tennie, Claudio, Grant, Julie, Tomaselli, Keyan, Nielsen, Mark
- Authors: Neldner, Karri , Reindl, Eva , Tennie, Claudio , Grant, Julie , Tomaselli, Keyan , Nielsen, Mark
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Tool use , Problem solving , Physical cognition
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/432558 , uj:37368 , Citation: Neldner K, Reindl E, Tennie C, Grant J, Tomaselli K, Nielsen M. 2020 A crosscultural investigation of young children’s spontaneous invention of tool use behaviours. R. Soc. Open Sci. 7: 192240. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.192240
- Description: Abstract: Through the mechanisms of observation, imitation and teaching, young children readily pick up the tool using behaviours of their culture. However, little is known about the baseline abilities of children’s tool use: what they might be capable of inventing on their own in the absence of socially provided information. It has been shown that children can spontaneously invent 11 of 12 candidate tool using behaviours observed within the foraging behaviours of wild non-human apes (Reindl et al. 2016 Proc. R. Soc. B 283, 20152402. (doi:10.1098/rspb.2015. 2402)). However, no investigations to date have examined how tool use invention in children might vary across cultural contexts. The current study investigated the levels of spontaneous tool use invention in 2- to 5-year-old children from San Bushmen communities in South Africa and children in a large city in Australia on the same 12 candidate problemsolving tasks. Children in both cultural contexts correctly invented all 12 candidate tool using behaviours, suggesting that these behaviours are within the general cognitive and physical capacities of human children and can be produced in the absence of direct social learning mechanisms such as teaching or observation.
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- Authors: Neldner, Karri , Reindl, Eva , Tennie, Claudio , Grant, Julie , Tomaselli, Keyan , Nielsen, Mark
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Tool use , Problem solving , Physical cognition
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/432558 , uj:37368 , Citation: Neldner K, Reindl E, Tennie C, Grant J, Tomaselli K, Nielsen M. 2020 A crosscultural investigation of young children’s spontaneous invention of tool use behaviours. R. Soc. Open Sci. 7: 192240. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.192240
- Description: Abstract: Through the mechanisms of observation, imitation and teaching, young children readily pick up the tool using behaviours of their culture. However, little is known about the baseline abilities of children’s tool use: what they might be capable of inventing on their own in the absence of socially provided information. It has been shown that children can spontaneously invent 11 of 12 candidate tool using behaviours observed within the foraging behaviours of wild non-human apes (Reindl et al. 2016 Proc. R. Soc. B 283, 20152402. (doi:10.1098/rspb.2015. 2402)). However, no investigations to date have examined how tool use invention in children might vary across cultural contexts. The current study investigated the levels of spontaneous tool use invention in 2- to 5-year-old children from San Bushmen communities in South Africa and children in a large city in Australia on the same 12 candidate problemsolving tasks. Children in both cultural contexts correctly invented all 12 candidate tool using behaviours, suggesting that these behaviours are within the general cognitive and physical capacities of human children and can be produced in the absence of direct social learning mechanisms such as teaching or observation.
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Children's tool innovation across culture
- Neldner, Karri, Redshaw, Jonathan, Murphy, Sean, Tomaselli, Keyan, Jacqueline, Davis,, Dixson, Barnaby, Nielsen, Mark
- Authors: Neldner, Karri , Redshaw, Jonathan , Murphy, Sean , Tomaselli, Keyan , Jacqueline, Davis, , Dixson, Barnaby , Nielsen, Mark
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Tool innovation , Cross-cultural , Innovation
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/407171 , uj:34262 , Citation: Neldner, K. et al. 2019: Children's tool innovation across culture.
- Description: Abstract: Prior research suggests that human children lack an aptitude for tool innovation. However, children’s tool making must be explored across a broader range of tasks and across diverse cultural contexts before we can conclude that they are genuinely poor tool innovators. To this end, we investigated children’s ability to independently construct three new tools using distinct actions: adding, subtracting and reshaping. We tested 422 children across a broad age range from five geographic locations across South Africa (N = 126), Vanuatu (N = 190) and Australia (N = 106), which varied in their levels of exposure to Westernized culture. Children were shown a horizontal, transparent tube that had a sticker in its middle. Children were sequentially given each incomplete tool, which when accurately constructed could be used to push the sticker out of the tube. As predicted, older children were better at performing the innovation tasks than younger children across all cultures and innovation actions. We also found evidence for cultural variation: while all non‐Western groups performed similarly, the Western group of children innovated at higher rates. However, children who did not innovate often adopted alternate methods when using the tools that also led to success. This suggests that children’s innovation levels are influenced by the cultural environment, and highlights the flexibility inherent in human children’s tool use.
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- Authors: Neldner, Karri , Redshaw, Jonathan , Murphy, Sean , Tomaselli, Keyan , Jacqueline, Davis, , Dixson, Barnaby , Nielsen, Mark
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Tool innovation , Cross-cultural , Innovation
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/407171 , uj:34262 , Citation: Neldner, K. et al. 2019: Children's tool innovation across culture.
- Description: Abstract: Prior research suggests that human children lack an aptitude for tool innovation. However, children’s tool making must be explored across a broader range of tasks and across diverse cultural contexts before we can conclude that they are genuinely poor tool innovators. To this end, we investigated children’s ability to independently construct three new tools using distinct actions: adding, subtracting and reshaping. We tested 422 children across a broad age range from five geographic locations across South Africa (N = 126), Vanuatu (N = 190) and Australia (N = 106), which varied in their levels of exposure to Westernized culture. Children were shown a horizontal, transparent tube that had a sticker in its middle. Children were sequentially given each incomplete tool, which when accurately constructed could be used to push the sticker out of the tube. As predicted, older children were better at performing the innovation tasks than younger children across all cultures and innovation actions. We also found evidence for cultural variation: while all non‐Western groups performed similarly, the Western group of children innovated at higher rates. However, children who did not innovate often adopted alternate methods when using the tools that also led to success. This suggests that children’s innovation levels are influenced by the cultural environment, and highlights the flexibility inherent in human children’s tool use.
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Young children from three diverse cultures spontaneously and consistently prepare for alternative future possibilities
- Redshaw, Jonathan, Suddendorf, Thomas, Neldner, Karri, Wilks, Matti, Tomaselli, Keyan, Mushin, Ilana, Nielsen, Mark
- Authors: Redshaw, Jonathan , Suddendorf, Thomas , Neldner, Karri , Wilks, Matti , Tomaselli, Keyan , Mushin, Ilana , Nielsen, Mark
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/276505 , uj:29591 , Citation: Redshaw, J. et al. 2018. Young children from three diverse cultures spontaneously and consistently prepare for alternative future possibilities.
- Description: Abstract: This study examined future-oriented behaviour in children (3-6 years; N = 193) from three diverse societies – one industrialised Western city (Brisbane, Australia) and two small, geographically isolated communities (Indigenous Australians and South African Bushmen). Children had the opportunity to prepare for two alternative versions of an immediate future event. Some 3-year-olds from all cultures performed well, and a majority of the oldest children from each culture prepared for both possibilities on all six trials. Although there were some cultural differences in the youngest age groups that approached ceiling performance, the overall results indicate that children across these communities become able to prepare for alternative futures during early childhood. This acquisition period is therefore not contingent on Western upbringing and may instead indicate normal cognitive maturation.
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- Authors: Redshaw, Jonathan , Suddendorf, Thomas , Neldner, Karri , Wilks, Matti , Tomaselli, Keyan , Mushin, Ilana , Nielsen, Mark
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/276505 , uj:29591 , Citation: Redshaw, J. et al. 2018. Young children from three diverse cultures spontaneously and consistently prepare for alternative future possibilities.
- Description: Abstract: This study examined future-oriented behaviour in children (3-6 years; N = 193) from three diverse societies – one industrialised Western city (Brisbane, Australia) and two small, geographically isolated communities (Indigenous Australians and South African Bushmen). Children had the opportunity to prepare for two alternative versions of an immediate future event. Some 3-year-olds from all cultures performed well, and a majority of the oldest children from each culture prepared for both possibilities on all six trials. Although there were some cultural differences in the youngest age groups that approached ceiling performance, the overall results indicate that children across these communities become able to prepare for alternative futures during early childhood. This acquisition period is therefore not contingent on Western upbringing and may instead indicate normal cognitive maturation.
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Young children from three diverse cultures spontaneously and consistently prepare for alternative future possibilities
- Redshaw, Jonathan, Suddendorf, Thomas, Neldner, Karri, Wilks, Matti, Tomaselli, Keyan, Mushin, Ilana, Nielsen, Mark
- Authors: Redshaw, Jonathan , Suddendorf, Thomas , Neldner, Karri , Wilks, Matti , Tomaselli, Keyan , Mushin, Ilana , Nielsen, Mark
- Date: 2019
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/407163 , uj:34261 , Citation: Redshaw, J. et al. 2019: Young children from three diverse cultures spontaneously and consistently prepare for alternative future possibilities.
- Description: Abstract: This study examined future-oriented behaviour in children (3-6 years; N = 193) from three diverse societies – one industrialised Western city (Brisbane, Australia) and two small, geographically isolated communities (Indigenous Australians and South African Bushmen). Children had the opportunity to prepare for two alternative versions of an immediate future event. Some 3-year-olds from all cultures performed well, and a majority of the oldest children from each culture prepared for both possibilities on all six trials. Although there were some cultural differences in the youngest age groups that approached ceiling performance, the overall results indicate that children across these communities become able to prepare for alternative futures during early childhood. This acquisition period is therefore not contingent on Western upbringing and may instead indicate normal cognitive maturation.
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- Authors: Redshaw, Jonathan , Suddendorf, Thomas , Neldner, Karri , Wilks, Matti , Tomaselli, Keyan , Mushin, Ilana , Nielsen, Mark
- Date: 2019
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/407163 , uj:34261 , Citation: Redshaw, J. et al. 2019: Young children from three diverse cultures spontaneously and consistently prepare for alternative future possibilities.
- Description: Abstract: This study examined future-oriented behaviour in children (3-6 years; N = 193) from three diverse societies – one industrialised Western city (Brisbane, Australia) and two small, geographically isolated communities (Indigenous Australians and South African Bushmen). Children had the opportunity to prepare for two alternative versions of an immediate future event. Some 3-year-olds from all cultures performed well, and a majority of the oldest children from each culture prepared for both possibilities on all six trials. Although there were some cultural differences in the youngest age groups that approached ceiling performance, the overall results indicate that children across these communities become able to prepare for alternative futures during early childhood. This acquisition period is therefore not contingent on Western upbringing and may instead indicate normal cognitive maturation.
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Young children’s tool innovation across culture : affordance visibility matters
- Neldner, Karri, Mushin, Ilana, Nielsen, Mark
- Authors: Neldner, Karri , Mushin, Ilana , Nielsen, Mark
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Cross-cultural , Tool manufacture , Tool innovation
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/259831 , uj:27346 , Citation: Neldner, K., Mushin, I. & Nielsen, M. 2017. Young children’s tool innovation across culture : affordance visibility matters.
- Description: Abstract: Young children typically demonstrate low rates of tool innovation. However, previous studies have limited children’s performance by presenting tools with opaque affordances. In an attempt to scaffold children’s understanding of what constitutes an appropriate tool within an innovation task we compared tools in which the focal affordance was visible to those in which it was opaque. To evaluate possible cultural specificity, data collection was undertaken in a Western urban population and a remote Indigenous community. As expected affordance visibility altered innovation rates: young children were more likely to innovate on a tool that had visible affordances than one with concealed affordances. Furthermore, innovation rates were higher than those reported in previous innovation studies. Cultural background did not affect children’s rates of tool innovation. It is suggested that new methods for testing tool innovation in children must be developed in order to broaden our knowledge of young children’s tool innovation capabilities.
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- Authors: Neldner, Karri , Mushin, Ilana , Nielsen, Mark
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Cross-cultural , Tool manufacture , Tool innovation
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/259831 , uj:27346 , Citation: Neldner, K., Mushin, I. & Nielsen, M. 2017. Young children’s tool innovation across culture : affordance visibility matters.
- Description: Abstract: Young children typically demonstrate low rates of tool innovation. However, previous studies have limited children’s performance by presenting tools with opaque affordances. In an attempt to scaffold children’s understanding of what constitutes an appropriate tool within an innovation task we compared tools in which the focal affordance was visible to those in which it was opaque. To evaluate possible cultural specificity, data collection was undertaken in a Western urban population and a remote Indigenous community. As expected affordance visibility altered innovation rates: young children were more likely to innovate on a tool that had visible affordances than one with concealed affordances. Furthermore, innovation rates were higher than those reported in previous innovation studies. Cultural background did not affect children’s rates of tool innovation. It is suggested that new methods for testing tool innovation in children must be developed in order to broaden our knowledge of young children’s tool innovation capabilities.
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