AbstractsPsychology

Children’s preferences for native speakers of their native language over foreign-accented speakers have been documented across a variety of different situations. Two experiments were used to test whether five- to six-year-old children (N=98) and adults (N=68) show the native-speaker preference when learning non-functional behaviors, a type of cultural information. In experiment 1, children imitated native-speakers’ non-functional behaviors more than foreign-accented speakers’ non-functional behaviors, but adults did not show any imitative preference. Experiment 2 tested whether children’s performance in Experiment 1 was due to a belief that native speakers are more credible sources of cultural information. Results from experiment 2 showed that children preferentially imitated non-functional behaviors of a credible native speaker but not a credible foreign-accented speaker. Adults imitated the non-functional behaviors of whichever speaker used explicit credibility cues. Results from both experiments suggest that, for children, native accent signals speaker credibility, but maybe not for adults.