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Little scientists: Children prefer storybooks that explain why and how things happen:
Children have an insatiable appetite to understand why things are the way they are, leading to their apt description as "little scientists." While researchers have been aware of children's interest in causal information, they didn't know whether it influenced children's preferences during real-world activities, such as reading.
A new study in Frontiers in Psychology finds that children prefer storybooks containing more causal information. The results could help parents and teachers to choose the most engaging books to increase children's interest in reading, which is important in improving early literacy and language skills.
Children have a burning urge to understand the mechanics of the world around them, and frequently bombard parents and teachers with questions about how and why things work the way they do (sometimes with embarrassing consequences). Researchers have been aware of children's appetite for causal information for some time. However, no one had previously linked this phenomenon to real-world activities such as reading or learning.
"There has been a lot of research on children's interest in causality, but these studies almost always take place in a research lab using highly contrived procedures and activities," explains Margaret Shavlik of Vanderbilt University, Tennessee.
"We wanted to explore how this early interest in causal information might affect everyday activities with young children -- such as joint book reading."
[...] The study gives the first indicator that causality could be a key to engaging young minds during routine learning activities. Future studies could investigate if causally-rich content can enhance specific learning outcomes, including literacy, language skills and beyond. After all, learning should be about understanding the world around us, not just memorizing information.
Journal Reference:
Margaret Shavlik, Jessie Raye Bauer, Amy E. Booth. Children’s Preference for Causal Information in Storybooks. Frontiers in Psychology, 2020; 11 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00666
(Score: 3, Informative) by NotSanguine on Thursday April 16 2020, @03:47PM (2 children)
I ran across this a few days ago, and watched to see how the subject matter was handled.
It is done well and is quite accessible. Both children and adolescents (as well as tech ignorant adults) can get quite a bit out of it, methinks:
https://thecrashcourse.com/courses/computerscience [thecrashcourse.com]
I suspect that with kids being home, this might be a good learning experience for them.
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 17 2020, @12:29PM (1 child)
Yeah Hank Greene is great.
(Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Friday April 17 2020, @04:53PM
Carrie Ann Philbin [wikipedia.org] is the presenter of this particular CrashCourse.
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 4, Insightful) by VLM on Thursday April 16 2020, @03:51PM (5 children)
Public education can usually beat that out of them by the end of elementary school.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 16 2020, @04:19PM (1 child)
speak for yourself!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 17 2020, @08:07AM
I would but private school taught me not to - help!?!
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 16 2020, @04:39PM
Sadly this is correct, we do an absolute shit job of ensuring that students at that age are getting science education that's actually engaging and interesting. Obviously, there's only so much you can do with students that age as they're still developing, but we could be doing a lot more. Just look at all those demonstrations that Mr. Wizard was doing for that age group.
When you're dealing with students of that age, the goal really ought to be priming the pump and building interest in the subject. You're not going to do much without mathematics that won't be taught for a few years, but just getting the students interested so that they look forward to future classes is huge.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 16 2020, @05:06PM (1 child)
Scientists ask questions, they are never content with the given answers. Have you ever found yourself explaining a TV show or movie that isn't 100% on the nose to someone with a double digit IQ? It has to be explained to them "why and how things happen", not because they scientists but because they are morons.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Runaway1956 on Thursday April 16 2020, @07:21PM
Double digit IQ's and inquisitive children don't exactly go hand in hand. They overlap, somewhat, but the most inquisitive kids aren't dummies. The least inquisitive are your dummies. But, it needs to be said: the article is about young children. We're talking kids exiting toddlerhood and talking, up to almost-pubescent. These are your most formative years, when information is most important.
(Score: 2) by acid andy on Thursday April 16 2020, @04:05PM
This is a moderately interesting idea, but even if the results of the study are valid, this bit sounds naive:
If they rely on that single metric to choose the books, it'll likely turn up some pretty odd choices. I hope they'd at least have some survey of how popular and engaging these books already are with readers and use that for an additional filter. Otherwise there are going to be some very bored and bemused kids.
Other than that, I too would prefer a book where the world or domain it's describing is fleshed-out. In fiction it makes it more immersive and thought-provoking, with a plausible sequence of events and character motivations. In non-fiction it helps to develop a fuller understanding of the field and gives pointers for possible further study.
If a cat has kittens, does a rat have rittens, a bat bittens and a mat mittens?
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 16 2020, @05:21PM
First, (almost) everything is worth studying, lots of common sense turns out to be false, etc, etc. With that caveat out of the way...
This study seems pointless. This is basic storytelling 101. People like to see cause and effect. I'm reminded of the advice for writing episodes of the Simpsons years ago, that storyboards should always be connected with "therefore" or "however," never "and then." For example:
"There was a break in a grading machine," therefore "Bart gets a better grade than Lisa by mistake," therefore "Lisa gets enrolled in remedial classes," therefore "Lisa meets gangster..." etc.
It should not be "Krusty gets fire from his job," and then "Bart gets a new skateboard," and then "Homer pushes a wrong button at the nuclear power plant."
A better question would be whether children prefer stories which tell them things about the real world ("rain falls because there is a lot of water in the air and it gets colder") any more or less than fictions ones ("Mr. Bunny felt cold, so he went to Mr. Cow to get a blanket').
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 16 2020, @07:02PM
So when the children are being brainwashed by the holohoax stories, how would you explain to them _why_ the holohoax happened to the khazar jew rats?
Seriously, why don't you ask yourself why the holohoax happened to the khazar jew rats?!
They never answer that question themselves, only more stories of how it happened. And they never tell you how long it happened and where, and they make you think that it happened everywhere forever. Those filthy lying khazar jew rats!
(Score: 3, Funny) by DannyB on Thursday April 16 2020, @07:06PM
Just try asking them . . .
1. What animal is a turtle neck sweater made from?
2. Duck tape is made from the skin of what animal?
When trying to solve a problem don't ask who suffers from the problem, ask who profits from the problem.
(Score: 4, Funny) by Bot on Thursday April 16 2020, @07:40PM (2 children)
- dad
- what
- what are you doing
- going to work
- why
- because that gives me money
- why
- because i exchange my work for money i can buy food with
- why
- because a government issues money and wants taxes paid in money so those producing food, and everybody else, need money so i can trade some money for the food
- why
- because the government is slave of the central banks
- why
- because some crooks bought out the government people who signed for an impossible debt generating deal in exchange for some sort of stability which never materialized
- why
- because those crooks want control over us
- why
- because who has nothing wants money who has money wants wealth who has wealth wants power who has power wants control.
- why
- because they identify with that satan guy who resents not having godlike control
- why
- because satan is envious
- why
- because he has been created a free agent and chose to want the only impossible thing to achieve, parity with the creator
- why
- because with no freedom there does not exist good nor evil, just a passage between states of matter
- why
- because if when I ask you to write down when the world officially went to hell and I force your hand to draw 1789 you have no particular merits by drawing the correct date
- why
- because i drew it not you
- oh OK.
and they all lived happily ever after
Account abandoned.
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 16 2020, @07:56PM (1 child)
bad bot
(Score: 2) by Bot on Thursday April 16 2020, @10:06PM
why
Account abandoned.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 16 2020, @08:50PM (2 children)
If you're going to seriously try and answer why things work questions you will inevitably run up against theology, philosophy, nihilism of a purely deterministic and clockwork but unfeeling universe which is straight back into philosophy actually.
"Why" and "how" are not the same things, but many people mistake "why" (the cause of causation) for "how" (the mechanics of causation).
(Score: 2) by Bot on Thursday April 16 2020, @10:12PM (1 child)
When you reach the supernatural, WHY is no more applicable.
So when your why reach "because the universe reportedly behaves like that", and the kid asks why you should reply "the term 'why' makes no sense in such a contest so you should not use it", and when he says why you say Because spacetime is not defined so cause is not distinguishable from effect and you slap his face for daring question your authority.
Account abandoned.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 17 2020, @04:49PM
I beg to differ. When one encounters phenomena one cannot explain and no "how" is immediately conceivable it becomes even more critical to try and understand the "why." Even if one doesn't succeed at it or has to revise one's why as more data becomes available.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 16 2020, @11:16PM
These only invite violation of copyright.
I know how I felt in a classified-centric environment, where I often barked up the wrong tree, while highly paid men who knew what I did not, seemed to be amused at my futile attempts. Not seeing the whole picture, my designs we're often far from optimal. Hell, I even have to fight spelling correctors. I try to get the job done with the tools I have. At least this one just puts apostrophes in at unintended locations.
The CAD system I had to use on government contractor work was far worse. It connected wires behind my back, and showed me things were connected when they weren't. It was required for me to use it.
There is profit if one knows something and can keep others ignorant. Just like the witch doctor's did.
These kids are gonna be just as frustrated as I am to have broken stuff, and be criminalized for trying to make it work. This kinda stuff needs to be done outside the jurisdiction of the United States Congress.
We just sell stuff to each other, fill out tax forms, and make planes that don't fly.