Abstract
In Experiment 1, 4-, 5-, 8-, and 11-year-old Japanese children (n = 69) and adults (n = 21) explained the reasons for bodily induced reactions (e.g., overeating leads to vomiting) and psychogenic bodily reactions (bodily outcomes originating in the mind, e.g., being frustrated leads to vomiting). Among the children, vitalistic explanations, i.e., explaining causal connections by referring to a vital force, were observed in their responses concerning bodily induced reactions, whereas among the adults these explanations were typically obtained in responses concerning psychogenic bodily reactions. In Experiment 2, 5-, 8-, and 11-year-old children (n = 96) and adults (n = 24) explained bodily induced and psychogenic bodily reactions and psychological behavior, e.g., being frustrated leads to biting nails. As in Experiment 1, vitalistic explanations tended to be observed on the psychogenic tasks, but these were seldom found either children’s or adults’ explanations for psychological behavior. .
