Trust and Skepticism Children's selective learning from testimony

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

Biography

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.

"Trust has been a central issue in developmental psychology since its inception. In the past two decades, there has been explosive growth in research on the development of trust in childhood. This expertly edited book by Robinson and Einav brings together contributions from some of the key players in this growing body of research on the issue. The book provides timely reviews of evidence regarding various central issues related to the development of trust. It thus represents a milestone towards our fast growing scientific knowledge of how children learn to trust. The book covers issues concerning the development of trust broadly and from multiple perspectives. It is an essential resource for researchers and students who are interested not only in trust, but also social cognition in development." - Kang Lee, Department of Human Development and Applied Psychology, University of Toronto, Canada

"Trust and Skepticism presents a timely collection of empirical and theoretical essays on how children learn from testimony. Findings in this emerging field are critical to help us understand how humans learn. Written by experts in the field, this volume covers central topics like epistemic vigilance, trust, willingness to conform, and learning about unobservable entities in science and religion." – Helen De Cruz, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Oxford, UK

"Trust and Skepticism succeeds in presenting a comprehensive and comprehensible collection of research into children's selective trust in testimony. The volume identifies many factors that alter a child's decision to trust testimony, and each chapter is well-reasoned and supported by a wealth of empirical research and references" - Angela D. Moore, Journal of Youth and Adolescence