“Plan chunking” expands 3‐year‐olds' ability to complete multiple‐step plans

Abstract

AbstractThe ability to use knowledge to guide the completion of goals is a critical cognitive skill, but 3‐year‐olds struggle to complete goals that require multiple steps. This study asked whether 3‐year‐olds could benefit from “plan chunking” to complete multistep goals. Thirty‐two U.S. children (range = 35.75–46.59 months; 18 girls; 9 white, 3 mixed race, 20 unknown; tested between July 2020 and April 2021) were asked to complete “treasure maps,” retrieving four colored map pieces by pressing specific buttons on a “rainbow box.” Children completed more of the four‐step sequence correctly when the steps were presented in a way that encouraged chunking the steps into pairs. These findings suggest a potential mechanism supporting memory‐guided planning abilities in early childhood.