A Comparison of Levels of Tolerance for Ambiguity in Deaf and Hearing School Children

This study compared ambiguity tolerance of 20 first-grade hearing children with that of 16 first-grade and 23 fourth-grade deaf children. The children were shown four series of pictures of animals that gradually became distorted. Scores were based on how long a child took before responding that the pictures had changed. All children were also given two tests of social cognition. Results showed the hearing children to be significantly quicker than the deaf ones to respond to changes in the pictures and to demand an explanation. Within the deaf sample, those who were less tolerant of ambiguity were more advanced in their development of social cognition. Results are discussed in terms of the effects of deafness on tolerance for ambiguity and the importance of resolving ambiguity for development.