Lesson plan
Scale error
In developmental psychology, Scale error is a serious attempt made by a young child to perform a task that is behaviorally inappropriate for the object because of a mistaken difference in the perceived and actual size of the objects involved. The child does not consider the size of their body in relation to the object and may attempt to fit into miniature objects or toys. An example of this would be a child attempting to slide down a toy slide or attempting to enter and drive a miniature toy car. This phenomenon was first documented and studied by DeLoache et al. in 2004. Recent studies have added to the wealth of knowledge on the topic including evidence of the prevalence of scale error outside of the laboratory, as well as investigations into the frequency of scale errors in children.
Article summary
In developmental psychology, Scale error is a serious attempt made by a young child to perform a task that is behaviorally inappropriate for the object because of a mistaken difference in the perceived and actual size of the objects involved. The child does not consider the size of their body in relation to the object and may attempt to fit into miniature objects or toys. An example of this would be a child attempting to slide down a toy slide or attempting to enter and drive a miniature toy car. This phenomenon was first documented and studied by DeLoache et al. in 2004. Recent studies have added to the wealth of knowledge on the topic including evidence of the prevalence of scale error outside of the laboratory, as well as investigations into the frequency of scale errors in children.
Key claims
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.