Relating developments in children's counterfactual thinking and executive functions

Beck, Sarah R.; Riggs, Kevin J.; Gorniak, Sarah L.

Abstract

The performance of 93 children aged 3 and 4 years on a battery of different counterfactual tasks was assessed. Three measures: short causal chains, location change counterfactual conditionals, and false syllogisms—but not a fourth, long causal chains—were correlated, even after controlling for age and receptive vocabulary. Children's performance on our counterfactual thinking measure was predicted by receptive vocabulary ability and inhibitory control. The role that domain general executive functions may play in 3- to 4-year olds' counterfactual thinking development is discussed.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: 2009-11
• Journal: Thinking and Reasoning
• Print ISSN: 1354-6783
• Electronic ISSN: 1464-0708
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 15
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 337-354
• Institution Citation: Beck, S. R., Riggs, K. J., & Gorniak, S. L. (2009). Relating developments in children's counterfactual thinking and executive functions. Thinking and Reasoning, 15(4), (337-354). doi:10.1080/13546780903135904. ISSN 1354-6783
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13546780903135904
• Keywords: Counterfactual thinking; Imagination; Inhibition; Reasoning; Working memory
• Publisher URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13546780903135904