On Asking Children Bizarre Questions

Abstract

When five-and seven-year old children were presented with questions intended to be bizarre (in the sense that their meaning required clarification, or that further information beyond that provided was required for an answer), the children almost invariably gave replies. The older children were more likely to do so by making sense of the questions through characteristics of the elements referred to, or through rules that might be expected to apply in the situations referred to; the younger children were more likely to make sense of the questions by importing additional context. Older children were also more likely to indicate their uncertainty about the questions by qualifying their responses in some way.