Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 January 2020
This chapter focuses on breaking down the process of using questions to gather information from others (i.e., inquiry) into its subcomponent parts to better understand the circumstances under which preschool-aged children can and will ask questions to gather information from others. We see the process of inquiry as involving at least four steps: determining when to engage in inquiry, deciding what to ask, selecting whom to question, and evaluating the information gathered to decide if inquiry should conclude or continue. In this chapter, we will briefly overview what we know about children’s ability to succeed at each of these steps during the preschool years, followed by a discussion of possible reasons for individual differences. The chapter concludes with implications for future research, including the importance of reflecting on the cost–benefit analysis children may undertake when determining whether or not to engage in each step of inquiry.
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