Biases in Reasoning about the Consequences of Psychogenic Bodily Reactions: Domain Boundaries in Cognitive Development.

Three studies examined 4- to- 7-year-olds' reasoning about consequences of physiological responses with origins in the mind. Results revealed that adults believed only psychological treatments are effective cures for psychogenic reactions. Young children reported that only physical treatments are effective cures for psychogenic reactions, suggesting that mind-body interactions pose conceptual difficulties for people of all ages, but the nature of the difficulty changes over development. (Author/KB)