Comments on: How Children Learn the Earth Isn’t Flat

By: Rupert

Rupert — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 15:53:00 +0000

It would be interesting to take a, say a village... a new village with willing participants. They would raise their children with all the knowledge we have gathered excluding all references and history of a higher power, never knowing the great religions or their movements. A daunting task, but would the children exhibit a need or want for a omnipotent being. Would the answers we have so far explain enough to be comfortable and allow a new strain of thought processes. Or would they have a innate understanding of NEW, utterly strange and fanciful god/s to rule the world with their political agenda? An great strategy to usurp the church of Scientology and reign in a.... Oh my, a new world order... run!

By: Jeremy (PsyBlog author)

Jeremy (PsyBlog author) — Sat, 03 May 2008 09:21:00 +0000

Tom, mental models are just one way to usefully understand how people reason - this study isn't designed to test the model.

By: Tom Rees

Tom Rees — Thu, 01 May 2008 19:34:00 +0000

Humans aren't descended from apes. Humans are apes! But I digress...

Does this study really show that children create and test mental models? It seems that there's basically 4 common models. There's right one. There's the bizarre inside-out sphere that doesn't seem to be transitional.

And then there seems to be two transitional models: a stage where they have been told the right model but don't relate it to the common sense world around them. And one where they've been told the right model but don't really accept it, so develop the idea of a squashed sphere.

Basically, you will have one of these until you understand geometry of spheres (that a curve tends towards a plane) and gravity. It seems to me that the problem is that the children are lacking two key insights, and this prevents them from accepting the correct model.

By: Jeremy (PsyBlog author)

Jeremy (PsyBlog author) — Thu, 01 May 2008 11:00:00 +0000

Lirone, thanks.

Shocking1, fair enough. Although in my defence "humans are descended from apes" is cultural shorthand for "humans are descended from ape-like creatures" rather than a fundamental misunderstanding of evolutionary theory :-)

By: shocking1

shocking1 — Thu, 01 May 2008 10:43:00 +0000

Psychology - A+

Evolutionary theory - F

Humans are not descended from apes.
Apes and humans share a common ancestor which was neither ape nor human.
Good post otherwise.

By: Lirone

Lirone — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:36:00 +0000

Fascinating article. Makes me wonder what happens when people don't grow out of the illusions they are taught as children... we do still have a handful of adult flat-earthers, I believe... and from my point of view I'd say the same about belief in a personal God.