Misconceptions about Motion: Development and Training Effects

June 2008

Child Development  61(5):1544 – 1557

Authors:

Iris Levin   Robert Siegler   Sara Druyan

Abstract

2 experiments were performed to examine whether children and adults possess a single-object/single-motion intuition. This intuition involves the view that because all parts of a rigid object move together, they all must move at the same speed. We found that third graders, sixth graders, ninth graders, and adults all responded in accord with this intuition. On problems where the intuition led to errors, a large majority of subjects of all ages answered incorrectly. On problems where it led to successful performance, subjects answered more accurately than on problems where the intuition was not applicable. In addition, the specific errors were those that the intuition yielded, and the intuition fit individual patterns of performance. The intuition not only influenced speed judgments but also judgments of distance traveled. Experiment 2 demonstrated that making sixth graders aware of the intuition and providing them kinesthetic experience that contradicted it produced significant improvements in the children's understanding. Implications for how scientific misconceptions in general can be overcome were discussed.