Miller and Weiss Asked 7-, 10-, and 13-Year-Olds to Remember

Multiple Choice

Miller and Weiss asked 7-, 10-, and 13-year-olds to remember the locations of animals hidden behind flaps, telling the children to pay attention to the animals and ignore other objects behind each flap.How helpful were these instructions for each age group?

A) They were helpful for all three age groups and increased performance dramatically.
B) They were helpful only for the youngest age group; the 10- and 13-year-olds did well whether told what to ignore or not told.
C) They were not helpful for any of the age groups; even at 13 years of age children have difficulty ignoring irrelevant information.
D) They were most helpful for the 13-year-olds; younger children tended to have difficulty ignoring irrelevant information, even when instructed to.