Mariel K Goddu
Biographic Data
| ID | 5757629 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Mariel K Goddu |
| GIVEN NAMES | Mariel K |
| FAMILY NAME | Goddu |
| SIGNATURE | GODDU M K |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of California, Berkeley |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-4969-7948 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 10 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 0 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 10 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2015 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 0 |
Causal relational problem solving in toddlers
We investigate young children's capacity for "causal relational reasoning": the ability to use relational reasoning to design novel interventions and bring about novel outcomes. In two experiments, we show that 24-30-month-old toddlers and three-year-old preschoolers use relational reasoning in a causal problem-solving task. Even toddlers rapidly inferred relational causal rules and applied this knowledge to solve novel problems--thus demonstrati…
Children’s developing ability to predict novel outcomes from variability information
Making abstract inferences from specific instances is a critical cognitive ability. Here, we examine children's capacity to use these inferences to reason beyond the evidence they observe. In three experiments, participants ( N = 161, 46% female, 43% White) observed various colored balls randomly drawn from two opaque boxes and were asked to choose which box was more likely to contain a novel-colored ball. Younger preschoolers ( M age = 40.12 mon…
Fun isn't easy
Play is important in many cultures and species, but the basic motivations behind play remain unclear. In two preregistered experiments, we examined what 5- to 10-year-old children ( n = 124) think makes play rewarding under internally and externally motivated contexts using a novel game design task. We specifically compared children's choices about how to best configure a novel tossing game when either playing for fun or playing to win . We found…
Preschoolers’ Comprehension of Functional Metaphors
Previous work suggests that preschoolers often misunderstand metaphors. However, some recent studies demonstrate that preschoolers can represent abstract relations, suggesting that the cognitive foundations of metaphor comprehension may develop earlier than previously believed. The present experiments used novel paradigms to explore whether preschoolers (N = 200; 4–5 years; 100 males, 100 females; predominantly White) can understand metaphors bas…
Toddlers learn and flexibly apply multiple possibilities
The ability to consider multiple possibilities forms the basis for a wide variety of human-unique cognitive capacities. When does this skill develop? Previous studies have narrowly focused on children's ability to prepare for incompatible future outcomes. Here, we investigate this capacity in a causal learning context. Adults (N = 109) and 18- to 30-month olds (N = 104) observed evidence that was consistent with two hypotheses, each occupying a d…
Young Children Are Wishful Thinkers
Previously, research on wishful thinking has found that desires bias older children’s and adults’ predictions during probabilistic reasoning tasks. In this article, we explore wishful thinking in children aged 3- to 10-years-old. Do young children learn to be wishful thinkers? Or do they begin with a wishful thinking bias that is gradually overturned during development? Across five experiments, we compare low- and middle-income United States and …
Transformations and Transfer
Previous research suggests that preschoolers struggle with understanding abstract relations and with reasoning by analogy. Four experiments find, in contrast, that 3- and 4-year-olds (N = 168) are surprisingly adept at relational and analogical reasoning within a causal context. In earlier studies preschoolers routinely favored images that share thematic or perceptual commonalities with a target image (object matches) over choices that match the …
Learning what to change
Novel causal systems pose a problem of variable choice: How can a reasoner decide which variable is causally relevant? Which variable in the system should a learner manipulate to try to produce a desired, yet unfamiliar, casual outcome? In much causal reasoning research, participants learn how a particular set of preselected variables produce a particular effect. Here, we investigate 3- to 5-year-olds' ability to select the relevant variable for …
When saying “I’m best” is benign
Four studies explored developmental changes in attitudes toward boasting. Overall, 5- to 7-year-olds (N = 130) were more likely than 8- to 11-year-olds (N = 126) and adults (N = 263) to view characters who boasted about valued traits as likable. In Study 1, younger children, unlike the older participants, liked and morally valued boasters who were accurate about their boasts. Justifications suggested the 5- to 7-year-olds perceived the boaster as…
Searching for explanations
As the Internet has become a nearly ubiquitous resource for acquiring knowledge about the world, questions have arisen about its potential effects on cognition. Here we show that searching the Internet for explanatory knowledge creates an illusion whereby people mistake access to information for their own personal understanding of the information. Evidence from 9 experiments shows that searching for information online leads to an increase in self…
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Searching for explanations
As the Internet has become a nearly ubiquitous resource for acquiring knowledge about the world, questions have arisen about its potential effects on cognition. Here we show that searching the Internet for explanatory knowledge creates an illusion whereby people mistake access to information for their own personal understanding of the information. Evidence from 9 experiments shows that searching for information online leads to an increase in self…
When saying “I’m best” is benign
Four studies explored developmental changes in attitudes toward boasting. Overall, 5- to 7-year-olds (N = 130) were more likely than 8- to 11-year-olds (N = 126) and adults (N = 263) to view characters who boasted about valued traits as likable. In Study 1, younger children, unlike the older participants, liked and morally valued boasters who were accurate about their boasts. Justifications suggested the 5- to 7-year-olds perceived the boaster as…
Young Children Are Wishful Thinkers
Previously, research on wishful thinking has found that desires bias older children’s and adults’ predictions during probabilistic reasoning tasks. In this article, we explore wishful thinking in children aged 3- to 10-years-old. Do young children learn to be wishful thinkers? Or do they begin with a wishful thinking bias that is gradually overturned during development? Across five experiments, we compare low- and middle-income United States and …
Transformations and Transfer
Previous research suggests that preschoolers struggle with understanding abstract relations and with reasoning by analogy. Four experiments find, in contrast, that 3- and 4-year-olds (N = 168) are surprisingly adept at relational and analogical reasoning within a causal context. In earlier studies preschoolers routinely favored images that share thematic or perceptual commonalities with a target image (object matches) over choices that match the …
Learning what to change
Novel causal systems pose a problem of variable choice: How can a reasoner decide which variable is causally relevant? Which variable in the system should a learner manipulate to try to produce a desired, yet unfamiliar, casual outcome? In much causal reasoning research, participants learn how a particular set of preselected variables produce a particular effect. Here, we investigate 3- to 5-year-olds' ability to select the relevant variable for …
Toddlers learn and flexibly apply multiple possibilities
The ability to consider multiple possibilities forms the basis for a wide variety of human-unique cognitive capacities. When does this skill develop? Previous studies have narrowly focused on children's ability to prepare for incompatible future outcomes. Here, we investigate this capacity in a causal learning context. Adults (N = 109) and 18- to 30-month olds (N = 104) observed evidence that was consistent with two hypotheses, each occupying a d…
Preschoolers’ Comprehension of Functional Metaphors
Previous work suggests that preschoolers often misunderstand metaphors. However, some recent studies demonstrate that preschoolers can represent abstract relations, suggesting that the cognitive foundations of metaphor comprehension may develop earlier than previously believed. The present experiments used novel paradigms to explore whether preschoolers (N = 200; 4–5 years; 100 males, 100 females; predominantly White) can understand metaphors bas…
Causal relational problem solving in toddlers
We investigate young children's capacity for "causal relational reasoning": the ability to use relational reasoning to design novel interventions and bring about novel outcomes. In two experiments, we show that 24-30-month-old toddlers and three-year-old preschoolers use relational reasoning in a causal problem-solving task. Even toddlers rapidly inferred relational causal rules and applied this knowledge to solve novel problems--thus demonstrati…
Children’s developing ability to predict novel outcomes from variability information
Making abstract inferences from specific instances is a critical cognitive ability. Here, we examine children's capacity to use these inferences to reason beyond the evidence they observe. In three experiments, participants ( N = 161, 46% female, 43% White) observed various colored balls randomly drawn from two opaque boxes and were asked to choose which box was more likely to contain a novel-colored ball. Younger preschoolers ( M age = 40.12 mon…
Fun isn't easy
Play is important in many cultures and species, but the basic motivations behind play remain unclear. In two preregistered experiments, we examined what 5- to 10-year-old children ( n = 124) think makes play rewarding under internally and externally motivated contexts using a novel game design task. We specifically compared children's choices about how to best configure a novel tossing game when either playing for fun or playing to win . We found…
Psychology (7 works) · Child and Animal Learning Development (6 works) · Cognitive psychology (6 works) · Developmental psychology (5 works) · Cognition (4 works) · Cognitive and developmental aspects of mathematical skills (3 works) · Cognitive science (3 works) · Computer Science (3 works) · Child development (2 works) · Cognitive Abilities and Testing (2 works)