Trust and Skepticism

This book is the first of its kind to summarize and discuss the latest findings into how children make evaluations about the truth of what people tell them - when do they trust what people tell them, and when are they skeptical? With an international range of contributors, and two concluding commentaries which integrate the findings within broader perspectives, the book provides a thorough overview of this emerging sub-field. It will be essential reading for researchers, academic teachers and advanced students working in the areas of cognitive and language development, and will also be of great interest to educationists concerned with nursery and primary education.

Elizabeth J. Robinson is Emeritus Professor of Psychology at the University of Warwick, UK. As well as her main research interests in developmental aspects of the transfer of knowledge between people, she has a related side interest in communication in medical settings. Shiri Einav is a Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Nottingham, UK. Her research focuses on children's developing knowledge attribution, evaluation of oral and printed sources of information, and selective learning.

Introduction Shiri Einav and Elizabeth J. Robinson 1. Characterizing children's responsiveness to cues of speaker trustworthiness: two proposals Melissa Koenig and Elizabeth Stephens 2. Learning from testimony about religion and science Paul L. Harris and Kathleen H. Corriveau 3. Does understanding about knowledge and belief influence children's trust in testimony? Elizabeth J. Robinson, Erika Nurmsoo and Shiri Einav 4. Inquiring minds: using questions to gather information from others Candice M. Mills and Asheley R. Landrum 5. Gullible's travel: How honest and trustful children become vigilant communicators Olivier Mascaro and Olivier Morin 6. Children's reasoning about deception: a cross-cultural perspective Gail D. Heyman 7. Cultural differences in children's learning from others Kathleen H. Corriveau, Grace Min and Katelyn Kurkul 8. Resolving conflicts between observation and testimony: the role of inhibitory control Vikram K. Jaswal and Koraly Pérez-Edgar 9. Trust in others' versions of experience: implications for children's autobiographical memory Gabrielle F. Principe 10. Commentary I: Developing dimensions of deference: the cognitive and social underpinnings of trust in testimony and its development Frank Keil 11. Commentary II: 'If you've seen it before, then you know': physical evidence and children's trust in testimony Christine Howe