The Task Structures the Response: Reference Frame Alignment in Toddlers’ Emerging Object Search Strategies

We investigate experimentally how children’s increasingly flexible use of reference frames enables accurate search for hidden objects. Children watch as an object is rolled down a ramp, behind a panel of doors, and stops at a barrier visible above the doors. Prior studies have found that 3-year-olds can accurately retrieve the object but that 2-year-olds fail to do so. We gave 2- and 2.5-year-olds a strong reference frame by increasing the relative salience and stability of the barrier. We found that 2.5-year-olds could successfully locate the hidden object. This work highlights the importance of the task structure in creating performance differences during transitional phases in cognitive development