About this session

Friday, 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM

Understanding Children's Epistemic Vigilance: An Examination of Individual Differences

Researchers and legal professionals express widespread concerns for children’s abilities to provide accurate eyewitness accounts due to their susceptibility to suggestion. By investigating samples of diverse demographic and cultural contexts in the United States, China, and Brazil, the presentations in this symposium provide critical data and insight into how to support children’s ability to examine information sources and resist misinformation.

The first study highlights the role of sociocognitive factors (e.g., epistemic vigilance; theory of mind; executive functioning) in U.S. children’s resistance to misleading suggestions. Findings emphasize how epistemic vigilance, memory and theory of mind play critical roles in supporting children’s resilience in situations where misinformation is prevalent (e.g., legal and educational settings). The second study examines how cultural norms in China surrounding honesty and modesty influence children’s and adults’ judgments of truth-tellers and liars. Findings reveal that while honesty is often a priority, cultural expectations can shift perceptions of informants’ warmth and competence, particularly among adults. The third study investigates how socioeconomic status (SES) moderates selective trust among Brazilian preschoolers, demonstrating that children from low (SES) backgrounds show greater vigilance towards untrustworthy sources of information.

Our discussant is an expert in cross-cultural studies, social learning and misinformation. These studies collectively highlight how children’s resistance to misinformation is not only a product of sociocognitive factors but also deeply influenced by their cultural and socioeconomic environments. By integrating findings across different contexts, this symposium advances our understanding of children’s suggestibility, with implications for education, legal proceedings, and cross-cultural communication.

Paper #1
Title	Individual Differences in Memory and Epistemic Vigilance predict Children’s Resistance to Misleading Suggestions
Presenting author	Isaac Bisla, University of Minnesota, United States

Paper #2
Title	Can Lying Be Good? Examining the Impact of Cultural Expectations on Children’s Honesty Judgments
Presenting author	Dr. Shaocong Ma, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, China

Paper #3
Title	Selective Trust in Brazilian Preschoolers: The Role of Socioeconomic Status and Broken Promises
Presenting author	Debora de Hollanda Souza, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, Brazil

View all paper details

Session chair
Isaac Bisla, University of Minnesota, United States

Discussant
Boli Reyes-Jaquez, Ph.D., University of New Hampshire, United States

⇦ Back to schedule