Children have difficulty using object location to recognize when natural objects are owned

An object's location can be informative about whether it is owned—typically, a seashell on a beach is not owned, but one in someone's home is. However, in four experiments, we provide evidence that children have difficulty using location to recognize when natural kinds are owned. Children aged three to seven years (N = 262) and adults (N = 50) were shown pictures of objects located inside and outside, and were asked whether each object is owned. While adults viewed natural kinds located inside as owned by someone, children did not. Though children's judgments were sometimes influenced by where objects were located, they never viewed natural kinds as owned at rates exceeding chance. This finding was robust across a variety of testing methods. For example, it occurred when children were asked either of two test questions, when the location of the objects was explicitly highlighted, and when children were shown commonly encountered natural objects and less familiar natural objects. In contrast with children's difficulty recognizing the ownership of natural objects, they overwhelmingly claimed that human-made objects are owned. These findings extend knowledge about children's differing expectations about artifacts and natural kinds, and are informative about how children recognize ownership.