God Does Not Play Dice: Causal Determinism and Preschoolers' Causal Inferences

摘要: Three studies investigated children's belief in causal determinism. If children are determinists, they should infer unobserved causes whenever observed appear to act stochastically. In Experiment 1, 4-year-olds saw a stochastic generative cause and inferred the existence of an inhibitory cause. Children traded off inferences about presence absence causes. 2, used pattern indeterminacy decide whether variables were or inhibitory. 3 suggested that (4 years old) resist believing direct can stochastically, although accept events be stochastically associated. Children's deterministic assumptions seem support not obtainable from other cues.