TY - JOUR

T1 - Cognitive dissonance from 2 years of age

T2 - Toddlers', but not infants', blind choices induce preferences

AU - Grosse Wiesmann, Charlotte

AU - Kampis, Dora

AU - Poulsen, Emilie

AU - Schüler, Clara

AU - Lukowski-Duplessy, Helle

AU - Southgate, Victoria Helen

PY - 2022/6

Y1 - 2022/6

N2 - As adults, not only do we choose what we prefer, we also tend to adapt our preferences according to our previous choices. We do this even when choosing blindly and we could not have had any previous preference for the option we chose. These blind choice-induced preferences are thought to result from cognitive dissonance as an effort to reconcile our choices and values. In the present preregistered study, we asked when this phenomenon develops. We reasoned that cognitive dissonance may emerge around 2 years of age in connection with the development of children's self-concept. We presented N = 200 children aged 16 to 36 months with a blind choice between two toys, and then tested whether their choice had induced a preference for the chosen, and a devaluation of the discarded, toy. Indeed, children's choice-induced preferences substantially increased with age. 26- to 36-months-old children preferred a neutral over the previously blindly discarded toy, but the previously chosen over the neutral toy, in line with cognitive dissonance predictions. Younger infants showed evidence against such blind choice-induced preferences, indicating its emergence around 2 years of age. Contrary to our hypotheses, the emergence of blind choice-induced preferences was not related to measures of self-concept development in the second year of life. Our results suggest that cognitive dissonance develops around 2 years. We speculate about cognitive mechanisms that underlie this development, including later-developing aspects of the self-concept and increasingly abstract representational abilities.

AB - As adults, not only do we choose what we prefer, we also tend to adapt our preferences according to our previous choices. We do this even when choosing blindly and we could not have had any previous preference for the option we chose. These blind choice-induced preferences are thought to result from cognitive dissonance as an effort to reconcile our choices and values. In the present preregistered study, we asked when this phenomenon develops. We reasoned that cognitive dissonance may emerge around 2 years of age in connection with the development of children's self-concept. We presented N = 200 children aged 16 to 36 months with a blind choice between two toys, and then tested whether their choice had induced a preference for the chosen, and a devaluation of the discarded, toy. Indeed, children's choice-induced preferences substantially increased with age. 26- to 36-months-old children preferred a neutral over the previously blindly discarded toy, but the previously chosen over the neutral toy, in line with cognitive dissonance predictions. Younger infants showed evidence against such blind choice-induced preferences, indicating its emergence around 2 years of age. Contrary to our hypotheses, the emergence of blind choice-induced preferences was not related to measures of self-concept development in the second year of life. Our results suggest that cognitive dissonance develops around 2 years. We speculate about cognitive mechanisms that underlie this development, including later-developing aspects of the self-concept and increasingly abstract representational abilities.

KW - Faculty of Social Sciences

KW - Cognitive dissonance

KW - Choice-induced preferences

KW - Blind choice

KW - Decision-making

KW - Infants

KW - Development

KW - Self-concept

KW - cognitive dissonance

KW - choice-induced prefereences

KW - blind choice

KW - decision-making

KW - infants

KW - development

KW - self-concept

U2 - 10.1016/j.cognition.2022.105039

DO - 10.1016/j.cognition.2022.105039

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 35124454

VL - 223

JO - Cognition

JF - Cognition

SN - 0010-0277

M1 - 105039

ER -