Children predict improvement on novel motor tasks

Learning takes time: Performance usually starts poorly and improves over repeated attempts. Do children intuit this basic phenomenon of learning? In preregistered Experiment 1 (n = 125; 54% female; 48% White), 7- to 8-year-old children predicted improved performance, 5-to- 6-year-old children predicted flat performance, and 4-year-old children predicted near instant success followed by worse performance. In preregistered Experiment 2 (n = 75; 47% female; 69% White), on a task with lowered cognitive demands and features to reduce optimism, 4- to 6-year-old children predicted improved performance over trials. Thus children intuit that they will improve at novel motor tasks, but younger children may need scaffolding to appreciate this phenomenon and ensure optimal learning outcomes.