False information and decision-making in preschoolers.

Abstract

The main goal of the study was to explore the effect of false information on decision-making in preschoolers. One-hundred-and-thirteen preschoolers (M_age = 48 months, SD_age = 6 months) were given false information at different time points during a child-adapted Iowa Gambling task (IGT). Children were divided into three decision-making groups based on decision-making strategies in the early part of the game. Findings indicated a robust effect of false information on decision-making with children making significantly more disadvantageous choices following false information. Early explicit knowledge of the game moderated the effect of false information, suggesting that an initial correct belief has a protective effect on the impact of false information. Decision-making group membership moderated responses to false information, but the effect of false information was not persistent. Moreover, analysis of the trials following false information indicated that most children were correctly re-classified into their initial decision-making group. This finding indicates that there is a great deal of individual variability in children's responses to false information and that much of this variability can be attributed to initial decision-making strategies and early awareness of the game.