Inhibitory control interacts with core knowledge in toddlers’ manual search for an occluded object

Core knowledge theories advocate the primacy of fundamental principles that constrain cognitive development from earlyinfancy. However, there is concern that core knowledge of object properties does not constrain older preschoolers’ reasoningduring manual search. Here we address in detail both failure and success on two well-established search measures that requirereasoning about solidity. We show that poor performance arises from an inability to engage the appropriate search strategyrather than a simple failure of core knowledge. Moreover, we demonstrate that successful search is positively correlated withinhibitory control. We believe that toddlers’ manual search for an occluded object reflects a general capacity to deploy inhibitionso that search behaviour can be guided by core knowledge