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Do Japanese children say `yes' to their mothers? A naturalistic study of response bias in parent-toddler conversations

Kyoto University

Shoji Itakura

Kyoto University

This study investigated the situations in which children say `yes' in response to yes-no questions. Japanese-speaking children aged 2;0—3;11 (N=38) were asked yes-no questions by their own mothers at home. Children showed a strong yes bias. The results, combined with those of earlier studies, suggest that a yes bias is a general phenomenon. In addition, young Japanese children showed Japanese-specific response tendencies.

Key Words: Cognitive development • cross-cultural differences • parent-child interaction • response bias • yes bias

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First Language, Vol. 27, No. 4, 421-429 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0142723707081653


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This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Okanda, M. Articles by Itakura, S. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?