Insides and essences: Early understan non-obvious*

Gelman, S.A., and Wellman. H.M.. 1991. Insides and essences: Early understandings of the non-obvious. Cognition, 38: 213-244. Insides and essences are both critical concepts for appreciating the importance of non-obvious entities: neither are observable, both contrast with external appearances. and both can be more important than external appearances. The present research examined understandings of insides and essences in 3to 5year-old children. In Study I, children were asked questions requiring them to think about both the insides and the outer appearances of a series of objects. Zn Study 2, children were tested on their understanding that insides are typically more important than outer surfaces for an object’s identity and functioning. In Studies 3, 4, and 5, children were tested on their understanding of innate potential, a concept that reflects understanding of an inborn essence. Contrary to the traditional view of children as externalists (cf. Piaget, 195i), these studies demonstrate that by age 4 children have a firm grasp of the importance of both insides and essences. Even by age 3 children reason clearly about the insideoutside distinction. These results suggest that preschool children attend to nonobvious features and realize their privileged status. They may also indicate a more basic predisposition toward psychological essentialism in young children. *This research was supported in part by NICHD grant HD-23378 and a Spencer Fellowship to S. Gelman and NICHD grant HD-22149 to H. Wellman. We are grateful to Catherine Givens for her assistance in Studies 1 and 2, and to Rebecca Stein and Michelle Wecksler for their assistance in Studies 3 and 5. We t!.xtk Grant Gutheil for helpful comments and for conducting Study 4, and two anonymous reviewers for suggestions on an earlier manuscript. We also gratefully acknowledge the children, teachers, and staff of the following schools for their participation: Ann Arbor “Y”. Gretchen’s House, St. Luke’s Day Nursery, and University of Michigan Children’s Centers. Address for correspondence: Susan A. Gelman, Department of Psychology. 3433 Mason Hall, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1027, U.S.A. 0010~0277/91/$010,1