Response to Stimulus Uncertainty in Four-, Six-, and Eight-Year-Old Children

Summary

Forty-eight school children were allowed to play with a button-press light-display apparatus. Four-, six-, and eight-year-old groups all pressed more for high uncertainty (eight lights) than for low uncertainty (one light), but the effect was most pronounced for the youngest age group. Two minutes of pretest sensory restriction for half the subjects had no reliable effect upon their button-pressing behavior. In addition, most children stated that they “liked best” the high uncertainty stimulus display. However, even those who verbalized other preferences still pressed more for the high uncertainty display, emphasizing the difficulty of comparing overt choices with verbally stated preferences.