As you may notice, I continue to have an interest in how science is informing early childhood. I certainly know the value of scientific research while I was on faculty at the University of Texas Medical School. Science Daily posted an interesting article today regarding a scientific study involving young children and questions.

In a study appearing in the November/December 2009 Child Development, we learn of a fascinating study conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan. There were two studies with children ranging in ages 2 to 5 years old. The focus was on “how” and “why” questions and the desire for children to have answers from adults. “In the first study, the researchers examined longitudinal transcripts of six children’s everyday conversations with parents, siblings, and visitors at home. In the second study, they looked at the laboratory-based conversations of 42 preschoolers, using toys, storybooks, and videos to prompt the children, ages 3 to 5, to ask questions.”

The researchers found that children were more satisfied when they received an explanatory answer than when they did not receive one. Preschoolers would usually ask a follow-up question. When the children did not receive an explanation, they most likely repeated the question. In the past, some thought that the reason children asked so many questions was to prolong the conversation; this is not the case according to this study.

Unfortunately, the sample size was more moderate for the age 2 group, so the above findings do not apply. However, the study does “clearly suggest that by age 2, children contribute actively to the process of learning about the world around them.”

So the next time a little one asks a question, please do not say, “because” and end the response. Follow with the complete explanation. Why? Because we want children to learn about the world around them.