A re-examination of children's conceptions of contagion

Abstract

It has often been proposed that children under the age of six years do not readily understand the nature of contagion. They may believe that even ailments such as toothaches are transmitted through physical proximity and that illness amounts to punishment for a naughty act. However, support for this position has come largely from interview procedures. In the present study, 484 and 5-year-oldr were given stories about colds and toothaches illustrated by a board game on which play situations were enacted. In each story, a central character who possessed either a cold or toothache associated with playmates who varied in their physical proximity and previous behavior at home (naughty or not naughty). The children were asked to predict the scare of health of the playmates. The large majority maintained that only the playmate in close proximity to the character with a mid would become ill. There were no significant age differences in responses, and the children's judgments were not affected by the previous naughtiness of a playmate. The results are discussed in relation to methodological issues in determining conceptions of contagion and illness.

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