Jr. Spencer et al., Tests of a dynamic systems account of the A-not-B error: The influence of prior experience on the spatial memory abilities of two-year-olds, CHILD DEV, 72(5), 2001, pp. 1327-1346
Recently, Smith, Thelen, and colleagues proposed a dynamic systems account
of the Piagetian "A-not-B" error in which infants' errors result from gener
al processes that make goal-directed actions to remembered locations. Based
on this account, the A-not-B error should be a general phenomenon, observa
ble in different tasks and at different points in development. Smith, Thele
n, et al.'s proposal was tested using an A-not-B version of a sandbox task.
During three training trials and three "A" trials, 2-year-olds watched as
a toy was buried in a sandbox at Location A. Following a 10-s delay, childr
en searched for the object. Across five experiments, children's (total N =
92) performance on the A trials was accurate. After the A trials, children
watched as a toy was hidden at Location B, 8 to 10 inches from Location A.
In all experiments, children's searches after a 10-s delay were significant
ly biased in the direction of Location A. Furthermore, this bias toward Loc
ation A decreased with repeated trials to Location B, as well as when child
ren completed fewer trials to Location A. Together, these data suggest that
A-not-B-type errors are pervasive across tasks and development.