From birth to age five, children learn an astonishing amount about how the world works. They learn how to speak and understand a complex language, how objects that disappear from view can still exist, and how people feel about events in their lives. They are, as several researchers point out, among the best learners in the universe (Gopnik, Meltzoff & Kuhl, 1999). So how do they learn?
Young children are great explorers.
They grab things, examine them, bang them on the floor, and drop them.
It’s as if they need to discover the world around them. They will walk
or crawl toward fragile items and off-limits places. When they find a
game they enjoy, like peek-a-boo, they want to play it over and over
again (Gopnik et al., 1999).
These activities are all part of a larger learning process. Scientists
call this process hypothesis testing. It’s an extremely powerful way
that young children learn. It’s so powerful, in fact, that the world’s
leading scientists use the same methods.
A closer look at
hypothesis testing.
To understand hypothesis testing with children, we first must realize
that it always begins with what they already know. What children already
know influences how they think, how they react to situations, and how
they see the world around them. Children learn by building upon, and
then reshaping, what they already know about the world (Gopnik et al.,
1999).
Based on what they know, children make predictions about what they think
will happen (Gopnik et al., 1999). These predictions are called
hypotheses. When children make predictions about things and then test
their ideas, they are hypothesis testing. Of course, hypotheses can be
right or wrong, and that’s why children—just like scientists—need to
test them over and over again to make sure they get them right.
Five steps of hypothesis testing:
Making observations
Asking questions
Creating hypotheses (what they think will happen based on what they
know)
Testing hypotheses
Evaluating the evidence
What's the science
of peek-a-boo?
Peek-a-boo seems like an obvious game to adults. It’s fun to play, but
adults know exactly what’s going to happen. There’s no real mystery to
the game. Nobody’s afraid that the baby might disappear forever just
because she’s out of view.
“Where’s mommy?” “Peek-a-boo!” (baby giggles) “Where’s mommy?”
“Peek-a-boo!” (baby giggles again). Sound familiar? Every parent and
caregiver around the world knows the joy of playing peek-a-boo. Hiding
your faces from a baby, waiting a few precious moments, and then
bursting into view with wide eyes, a big smile, and a loud “peek-a-boo!”
can be delightfully fun. It’s so much fun, you probably don’t realize
that you are part of an ongoing scientific experiment. This giggling
baby is the scientist.
What is your child
thinking?
Now let’s look at peek-a-boo from a young child’s point of view. When
an adult hides his face, the baby thinks about the situation very
differently. The adult might really be gone! Peek-a-boo helps children
learn that something can be hidden from view but still exist in the
world. If we slow the game down, it may look something like this:
I can’t see Daddy’s face. (making an observation)
Where did he go? Is daddy still there? (asking a question)
I’ve played this game before, and I think he’s still there. (creating a hypothesis)
Let’s see . . . Peek-a-boo! It’s great to see Daddy again! (testing hypothesis)
I was right. Daddy can hide his face, but I know he’s still here. (evaluating the evidence)
By playing peek-a-boo, children test their ideas about things that
disappear. Over time and with evidence from many games, children learn
that objects still exist even when they’re hidden from view.
Babies learn by
testing.
Let’s use a crib mobile method from a well known scientific experiment
as an example of how hypothesis testing might work with a baby (Rovee-Collier,
Sullivan, Enright, Lucas, & Fagan, 1980). Tyler is three months old,
and he loves to watch how things move. One day, Tyler’s dad gently
attached one end of a ribbon to Tyler’s foot, and the other end of the
ribbon to a mobile hanging above his crib. After a few moments, Tyler
discovered that when he kicked, the mobile moved above him. So he
kicked his foot again. The mobile moved, just like the first time.
Soon, Tyler was kicking all the time—he learned that he could make the
mobile move by kicking his foot. After playing for a short time,
Tyler’s dad removed the ribbon from Tyler’s foot and took the mobile
down from the crib. A few days later, Tyler’s dad did the same thing
and attached one end of a ribbon to the mobile and the other end to
Tyler’s foot.
It was time for Tyler to test a hypothesis. It might have gone
something like this:
I see the mobile.
Can I make it move?
I made it move before by kicking, so kicking might make it move again.
I will kick again.
It moved! I can make the mobile move by kicking!
Like scientists,
the more they experiment, the more they learn.
Through hypothesis testing, babies like Tyler learn that they can make
things happen. Making mobiles dance is only the first step. Once babies
learn that they can make things happen, they want to make lots of things
happen. One discovery leads to a handful of new ideas to test.
Hypothesis testing is an active process, and young children are active
learners. By observing, asking questions, making predictions, and
testing their ideas, children make astonishing discoveries. These
discoveries lead to new observations, new hypotheses, and new tests in
an amazing upward spiral of learning.
Helpful Parenting Tips
Take the time to let children explore, test and learn at their own pace.
Repetition is an important part of hypothesis testing and learning. Try to enjoy your baby’s explorations, even if it means playing peek-a-boo over and over again.
Provide lots of opportunities for your baby to explore. Try taking your baby outside to see, touch and feel all sorts of new things.
Try to provide a safe environment for discovery. Little explorers will get into everything within their reach.
Scientists need lots of time, good helpers and safe
places to make important new discoveries. Babies need the same
things—and lots of hugs along the way.
References:
Gopnik, A.,
Meltzoff, A. N., & Kuhl, P. K. (1999). The scientist in the
crib: Minds, brains, and how children learn. New York: William
Morrow & Co.
Rovee-Collier, C.
K., Sullivan, M. W., Enright, M., Lucas, D., & Fagen, J. W.
(1980). Reactivation of infant memory. Science, 208,
1159-1161.
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To understand hypothesis testing with children, we first must realize
that it always begins with what they already know. What children already
know influences how they think, how they react to situations, and how
they see the world around them. Children learn by building upon, and
then reshaping, what they already know about the world (Gopnik et al.,
1999).
Take the time to let children explore, test and learn at their own pace.
