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Young children's understanding of future utility: A series of vignette tasks.

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Title: Young children's understanding of future utility: A series of vignette tasks.
Authors: Ockerby, Zoe (AUTHOR), Redshaw, Jonathan (AUTHOR), Suddendorf, Thomas (AUTHOR)
Source: International Journal of Behavioral Development. May2026, Vol. 50 Issue 3, p376-386. 11p.
Subjects: Child development, Cognitive development, Expectation (Psychology), Problem solving
Abstract: Recognition of future utility is a critical step in elevating a mere problem-solution into an innovation. It motivates us to engage in behaviors like keeping useful tools for repeated use, sharing them with others who need them, and refining their design—for instance—to maximize efficiency or durability. While previous research has assessed children's capacity to use and create solutions to novel problems, we do not know when they become able to recognize the future utility of such solutions. Across three experiments, we explored the development of this capacity in 4- to 9-year-olds (N = 282) using vignette-based tasks. When asked to share a tool with another, children consistently selected the item with future utility above levels expected by chance alone. This behavior was found to increase with age in Experiments 2 and 3. Each experiment also included a series of secondary measures examining children's understanding of other future-oriented behaviors—such as deliberate practice, deliberate study, mobile container use, and mental rehearsal. There were consistent positive correlations between performance on the tool-sharing vignette and children's overall performance across the foresight measures, independent of age. This suggests that these are all expressions of children's maturing foresight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of International Journal of Behavioral Development is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
FullText Text:
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  Data: Young children's understanding of future utility: A series of vignette tasks.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Ockerby%2C+Zoe%22">Ockerby, Zoe</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Redshaw%2C+Jonathan%22">Redshaw, Jonathan</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Suddendorf%2C+Thomas%22">Suddendorf, Thomas</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22International+Journal+of+Behavioral+Development%22">International Journal of Behavioral Development</searchLink>. May2026, Vol. 50 Issue 3, p376-386. 11p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Child+development%22">Child development</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cognitive+development%22">Cognitive development</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Expectation+%28Psychology%29%22">Expectation (Psychology)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Problem+solving%22">Problem solving</searchLink>
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  Data: Recognition of future utility is a critical step in elevating a mere problem-solution into an innovation. It motivates us to engage in behaviors like keeping useful tools for repeated use, sharing them with others who need them, and refining their design—for instance—to maximize efficiency or durability. While previous research has assessed children's capacity to use and create solutions to novel problems, we do not know when they become able to recognize the future utility of such solutions. Across three experiments, we explored the development of this capacity in 4- to 9-year-olds (N = 282) using vignette-based tasks. When asked to share a tool with another, children consistently selected the item with future utility above levels expected by chance alone. This behavior was found to increase with age in Experiments 2 and 3. Each experiment also included a series of secondary measures examining children's understanding of other future-oriented behaviors—such as deliberate practice, deliberate study, mobile container use, and mental rehearsal. There were consistent positive correlations between performance on the tool-sharing vignette and children's overall performance across the foresight measures, independent of age. This suggests that these are all expressions of children's maturing foresight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of International Journal of Behavioral Development is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=pbh&AN=194639452
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        Text: English
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        PageCount: 11
        StartPage: 376
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      – SubjectFull: Child development
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Cognitive development
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Expectation (Psychology)
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      – SubjectFull: Problem solving
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      – TitleFull: Young children's understanding of future utility: A series of vignette tasks.
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              Text: May2026
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              Y: 2026
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