The following passage was read to children aged four years and to children aged eight years.
'Mechanics are highly skilled at fixing broken cars and motors. Here are some pictures of people. Which of these people do you think might be a mechanic? Is it the woman or is it the man, or could both of them be mechanics?'
The child was shown two pictures, one picture of a woman and one picture of a man. The response given by each child was recorded.
Each child was interviewed individually.
Table 1: Responses of the children who were shown the pictures of a woman and of a man
| Response to question | Children aged 4 | Children aged 8 |
|---|---|---|
| 'Woman' | 2 | 5 |
| 'Man' | 23 | 12 |
| 'Both' | 5 | 13 |
Outline one methodological problem that might have occurred when asking the four-year-old children in the study the questions about the mechanics.
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