Because the "trap" was a local optimum for solving the problem adults would probably only figure out they were applying the wrong rule if you told them their sc

Because the "trap" was a local optimum for solving the problem adults would probably only figure out they were applying the wrong rule if you told them their score was low. But they'd figure it out pretty quickly if you did... Skimming the study, it seems like the kids' ability to learn the correct rule by "exploring" was cancelled out in some of their tests by their ability to completely forget it when new [irrelevant] information was introduced in the form making the objects a different colour Also kids aren't guaranteed to catch up adult scores if they're more likely to lose motivation. We're talking about a study that noted it excluded a participant who "refused to continue after seeing the sad face" :D