Children learn a lot from others, but the effectiveness of their social learning depends on the reliability of others' help. How do children adapt their future learning decisions based on the past reliability of receiving help? In two experiments, 4- to 6-year-olds (N = 60 each) interacted with a researcher who either followed through on promised help (Reliable condition) or failed to do so (Unreliable condition). Compared to children in the Reliable condition, those in the Unreliable condition were more likely to forego a harder but more rewarding puzzle as their next task and choose an easier, less rewarding puzzle instead. These decisions, while seemingly maladaptive at face value, reflect an adaptive response to the low likelihood of receiving help. These results extend our understanding of social learning across diverse ecological contexts, with broader implications to support education for children in less responsive environments.

Authors:

Katherine Adams Shannon: Stanford University; Aneesa Conine-Nakano: Stanford University; Willem E. Frankenhuis: University of Amsterdam; Michael C. Frank: Stanford University; Hyowon Gweon: Stanford University