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To copy or to innovate? The role of personality and social networks on children's learning strategies

Rawlings, B.; Flynn, E.; Kendal, R

To copy or to innovate? The role of personality and social networks on children's learning strategies Thumbnail


Authors

B. Rawlings

E. Flynn



Contributors

Abstract

In our technologically complex world, children frequently have problems to solve and skills to learn. They can develop solutions through learning strategies involving social learning or asocial endeavors. While evidence is emerging that children may differ individually in their propensity to adopt different learning strategies, little is known about what underlies these differences. In this article, we reflect on recent research with children, adults, and nonhuman animals regarding individual differences in learning strategies. We suggest that characteristics of children's personalities and children's positions in their social networks are pertinent to individual differences in their learning strategies. These are likely pivotal factors in the learning strategies children adopt, and thus can help us understand who copies and who innovates, an important question for cultural evolution. We also discuss how methodological issues constrain developmental researchers in this field and provide suggestions for ongoing work.

Citation

Rawlings, B., Flynn, E., & Kendal, R. (2017). To copy or to innovate? The role of personality and social networks on children's learning strategies. Child Development Perspectives, 11(1), 39-44. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12206

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Aug 16, 2016
Online Publication Date Nov 11, 2016
Publication Date Mar 1, 2017
Deposit Date Sep 29, 2016
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal Child Development Perspectives
Print ISSN 1750-8592
Electronic ISSN 1750-8606
Publisher Wiley
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 11
Issue 1
Pages 39-44
DOI https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12206

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Accepted Journal Article (279 Kb)
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Copyright Statement
© 2016 The Authors. Child Development Perspectives published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the Society for Research in Child Development This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.



Accepted Journal Article (Revised final version) (279 Kb)
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Copyright Statement
Revised final version





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