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When something like a ladybug lands on you”

Origins and development of the concept of luck

Bibliographic Data

ID9796105
AuthorsJacqueline D Woolley (0000-0002-4384-7688, corresponding author), Kelsey A Kelley (0000-0001-5521-3909)
Year2020
Volume56
Issue10
Pages1866-1878
Publication date2020-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueDevelopmental Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0012-1649 • E-ISSN: 1939-0599
PublisherAmerican Psychological Association (APA) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1037/dev0001104
PMID32790439
OpenAlexW3049133480
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited6

In Study 1, 103 children ages 4 through 10 answered questions about their concept of and belief in luck, and completed a story task assessing their use of luck as an explanation for events. The interview captured a curvilinear trajectory of children's belief in luck from tentative belief at age 4 to full belief at age 6, weakening belief at age 8, and significant skepticism by age 10. The youngest children appeared to think of luck simply as a positive outcome; with age, children increasingly considered the unexpected nature of lucky outcomes and many came to view luck as synonymous with chance. On the story task, younger children attributed a stronger role to luck in explaining events than did older children. Studies 2 and 3 explored 2 potential sources of children's concepts. Study 2 explored adult use of the words luck and lucky, and found that most of this input consisted in using lucky to refer to positive outcomes, although the nature of use changed with the ages of the children. In Study 3, we examined children's storybooks about luck and found them to be rich potential sources of children's concepts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)

Developmental psychology · Epistemology · Luck · MEDLINE · PsycINFO · Skepticism · Task (project management · Child and Animal Learning Development · Media Influence and Health · Philosophy · Psychology · Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment · Social Psychology

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    Open Access•Jennifer E Lansford, Nicholas Kerry et al.•Human Development•2023

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    Renatas Berniūnas, Audrius Beinorius et al.•Journal of Cognition and Culture•2023

  • Trust in Testimony

    Open Access•Paul L Harris, M A Koenig•Child Development•2006

  • Blaming God for Our Pain

    Open Access•Kurt Gray, Daniel M Wegner•Personality and Social Psychology…•2010

  • Believing what we do not believe

    Jane L Risen•Psychological Review•2016

  • The Child Language Data Exchange System

    Open Access•Brian Macwhinney, Catherine E Snow et al.•Journal of Child Language•1990

  • Judgments of the lucky across development and culture

    Kristina R Olson, Yarrow Dunham et al.•Journal of Personality and Social…•2008

  • Developing concepts of ordinary and extraordinary communication

    Jonathan D Lane, E Margaret Evans et al.•Developmental Psychology•2016

Unique citing works2
Citations per year0,67
Citation span2023 - 2023 (1)
Citation velocityhistorical
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 2

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Open DOIOpen Access
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