RESEARCH: Do You See What I See? Young Children's Assumptions About God's Perceptual Abilities

Abstract

The present study investigated predictions from the preparedness hypothesis that children's God concepts may not be strictly anthropomorphic along certain dimensions. In particular, 39 American children (ages 3 to 7) predicted the visual, auditory, and olfactory perspectives of humans, animals with special senses, and God. Results revealed that preschoolers distinguished God and the special animals as having greater perceptual access than humans and normal animals, who were predicted to have limited perceptual access. These results offer further support for the theory that in developing a concept of God, even young children differentiate God from humans and resist incorporating certain aspects of the human concept into their concept of God.