Developmental Trajectory of Children's Epistemic Trust Decision for Mathematical and Relative Information

This study aimed to determine which type of information source—providing either mathematical or relative data—children aged 5–11 would prefer. Additionally, the study examined how children justified their choices and whether differences existed in their justifications. A total of 837 children participated in the study. The children watched videos of two information sources: one who made decisions based on mathematical data and another who relied on personal opinions. They then answered three questions about which source they would consult regarding an unfamiliar topic. They also explained why they preferred the source they chose more frequently. Regression analysis revealed that as age increased, the likelihood of choosing the mathematical (precise) informant as the information source significantly increased. Furthermore, with age, children were more likely to justify their selections based on objective, measurement-based reasoning.