Two‐year‐olds selectively seek help, but not based on helper maturity

Help-seeking is a strategy by which children signal their need for social learning. In three experiments, we examined when and from whom 2-year-old (N = 146 children; mean age = 31.4 months) US children from diverse ethnoracial and economic backgrounds (62% White; 9% Latine; 24% low-income) seek help in problem-solving contexts. In Experiment 1, children sought more help when unfamiliar (and thus unable to solve) than when familiar with a problem. In Experiment 2, children selectively sought help from knowledgeable as opposed to ignorant helpers. Against our prediction, children in neither experiment preferred mature (adult) over immature (infant or peer) helpers. In Experiment 3, children again did not prefer mature over immature helpers when helpers were depicted with realistic photos instead of line drawings (as in Experiments 1 and 2). We discuss the findings in relation to children's knowledge of their status as social learners.