ERIC Number: EJ939688
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2004
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1524-8372
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Children's Understanding of the Causal Origins of Disability
Smith, Lesley A.; Williams, Joanne M.
Journal of Cognition and Development, v5 n3 p383-397 2004
This study explores children's understanding of the causal origins of disabilities. Using a forced-choice explanation task, children's understanding of social-psychological, physical, and biological causal explanations of disabilities was considered. We presented 79 children (26 4- to 5-year-olds, 26 6- to 7-year-olds, and 27 10- to 11-year-olds) with 4 vignettes describing a child with a particular disability (physical disability, blindness, learning disability, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). Participants rated their agreement with a variety of causal explanations of disability. Results showed significant age, disability, and causal explanation differences in children's causal understandings of disability. Children of all ages showed a preference for physical and biological causes of disability and rejected social-psychological causal explanations. These findings highlight the usefulness of employing a forced-choice methodology to examine young children's concepts of the causal origins of disabilities. (Contains 2 tables.)
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Interviews, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Physical Disabilities, Learning Disabilities, Causal Models, Etiology, Age Differences, Young Children, Children, Vignettes, Blindness, Comprehension, Biology, Social Influences, Psychology, Elementary School Students
Psychology Press. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom (Scotland)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A