Carolyn Baer
@carebaer7.bsky.social
Assistant Professor of Psychology @TrentU
Cognitive development, confidence, collaboration
Research funded by SSHRC 🇨🇦
Cognitive development, confidence, collaboration
Research funded by SSHRC 🇨🇦
Haha when it rains it pours ☔
June 19, 2025 at 8:18 PM
Haha when it rains it pours ☔
Experience with people justifying their beliefs seems to help this emerge: the Turkish-speaking kids (whose language involves a mandatory grammatical marker of how you know something) showed that difference a little bit younger than English-speaking kids.
June 19, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Experience with people justifying their beliefs seems to help this emerge: the Turkish-speaking kids (whose language involves a mandatory grammatical marker of how you know something) showed that difference a little bit younger than English-speaking kids.
Disagreement mattered: English and Turkish-speaking kids both were more likely to correctly remember they saw the contents when facing disagreement rather than agreement.
This wasn't just about heightened attention overall: they didn't remember the perceptual features of the gift box any better.
This wasn't just about heightened attention overall: they didn't remember the perceptual features of the gift box any better.
June 19, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Disagreement mattered: English and Turkish-speaking kids both were more likely to correctly remember they saw the contents when facing disagreement rather than agreement.
This wasn't just about heightened attention overall: they didn't remember the perceptual features of the gift box any better.
This wasn't just about heightened attention overall: they didn't remember the perceptual features of the gift box any better.
Preschoolers helped 'pack gifts' and had to remember the contents. Sometimes a partner disagreed with them about what was inside.
We asked kids to tell us how they learned the contents (by seeing themselves or by hearing from an adult) to justify their answer.
We asked kids to tell us how they learned the contents (by seeing themselves or by hearing from an adult) to justify their answer.
June 19, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Preschoolers helped 'pack gifts' and had to remember the contents. Sometimes a partner disagreed with them about what was inside.
We asked kids to tell us how they learned the contents (by seeing themselves or by hearing from an adult) to justify their answer.
We asked kids to tell us how they learned the contents (by seeing themselves or by hearing from an adult) to justify their answer.
When you remember something, you can often also remember how you learned it ("I *saw* it was raining"). Why bother encoding that extra context?
Maybe it's important info to justify your beliefs to someone who disagrees (to make better group decisions).
Maybe it's important info to justify your beliefs to someone who disagrees (to make better group decisions).
June 19, 2025 at 4:54 PM
When you remember something, you can often also remember how you learned it ("I *saw* it was raining"). Why bother encoding that extra context?
Maybe it's important info to justify your beliefs to someone who disagrees (to make better group decisions).
Maybe it's important info to justify your beliefs to someone who disagrees (to make better group decisions).
We're excited about this finding because it's initial evidence that kids use a rational strategy to combine old beliefs into new ones: weigh each belief according to its uncertainty.
This is an important step in their development as independent thinkers, and an essential skill in uncovering truth.
This is an important step in their development as independent thinkers, and an essential skill in uncovering truth.
May 21, 2025 at 10:46 PM
We're excited about this finding because it's initial evidence that kids use a rational strategy to combine old beliefs into new ones: weigh each belief according to its uncertainty.
This is an important step in their development as independent thinkers, and an essential skill in uncovering truth.
This is an important step in their development as independent thinkers, and an essential skill in uncovering truth.
If one witness was more confident, kids trusted that witness.
But if they were both equally confident, kids 8+ tended to pick the middle option, even though no one had actually endorsed that!
But if they were both equally confident, kids 8+ tended to pick the middle option, even though no one had actually endorsed that!
May 21, 2025 at 10:46 PM
If one witness was more confident, kids trusted that witness.
But if they were both equally confident, kids 8+ tended to pick the middle option, even though no one had actually endorsed that!
But if they were both equally confident, kids 8+ tended to pick the middle option, even though no one had actually endorsed that!
Kids 5-12 years old played detective and solved a monster crime 🔍
Two witnesses gave different descriptions of the suspect, but also gave their confidence (high or low).
We then gave kids a lineup that differed veeeery slightly (this one is the # of spots), always with an option in the middle.
Two witnesses gave different descriptions of the suspect, but also gave their confidence (high or low).
We then gave kids a lineup that differed veeeery slightly (this one is the # of spots), always with an option in the middle.
May 21, 2025 at 10:46 PM
Kids 5-12 years old played detective and solved a monster crime 🔍
Two witnesses gave different descriptions of the suspect, but also gave their confidence (high or low).
We then gave kids a lineup that differed veeeery slightly (this one is the # of spots), always with an option in the middle.
Two witnesses gave different descriptions of the suspect, but also gave their confidence (high or low).
We then gave kids a lineup that differed veeeery slightly (this one is the # of spots), always with an option in the middle.
Looks so fun! So sad I won't be there to see this!
May 20, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Looks so fun! So sad I won't be there to see this!
I do this too, but I honestly don't think it changed much. More useful was having a clear course website and in class reminders.
That said, I'd still do it - can't hurt to be clear and easy to follow, right?
That said, I'd still do it - can't hurt to be clear and easy to follow, right?
May 16, 2025 at 12:12 PM
I do this too, but I honestly don't think it changed much. More useful was having a clear course website and in class reminders.
That said, I'd still do it - can't hurt to be clear and easy to follow, right?
That said, I'd still do it - can't hurt to be clear and easy to follow, right?
Oh yes, good point about not knowing citizenship.
May 9, 2025 at 1:42 AM
Oh yes, good point about not knowing citizenship.
Yeah, this is really interesting. Looking closely at the stats about % Canadians hired by uni type. <50% at the big names? 🧐
May 9, 2025 at 12:18 AM
Yeah, this is really interesting. Looking closely at the stats about % Canadians hired by uni type. <50% at the big names? 🧐
Good grief you're busy! How are we going to schedule shenanigans?
April 29, 2025 at 10:26 PM
Good grief you're busy! How are we going to schedule shenanigans?
Ugh I am so sorry this has happened.
April 26, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Ugh I am so sorry this has happened.