The good, the strong, and the accurate: Preschoolers’ evaluations of informant attributes

Much recent evidence shows that preschoolers are sensitive to the accuracy of an informant. Faced with two informants, one of whom names familiar objects accurately and the other inaccurately, preschoolers subsequently prefer to learn the names and functions of unfamiliar objects from the more accurate informant. This study examined the inference process underlying this preference. We asked whether preschoolers make narrow inferences about informants, broader trait-based inferences, or more global evaluative inferences. We further asked what inferences preschoolers make about a potential informant based on distinctions in the unrelated domain of physical strength. The results indicate that preschoolers make relatively narrow inferences when observing individual differences in accuracy even though they are prone to global evaluative inferences when observing individual differences in strength. Preschoolers’ burgeoning understanding of others as expert language users may underlie their selective endorsement of a more accurate informant.

► We examined preschoolers’ selective trust in conflicting informants.
► A halo effect was proposed as underlying preferences for a more accurate informant.
► Preschoolers made global behavior and trait evaluations based on physical strength.
► They made narrower inferences based on informants’ prior labeling accuracy.
► Preschoolers are prone to halo effects interpreting strength, but not accuracy.