Children's understanding of indirect requests: comparing child and adult comprehension

Based on Clark & Lucy's (1975) study of adult comprehension of different types of indirect requests, this study addresses the questions: ‘How well are children aged 4 to 7 able to understand these same indirect requests?’ and ‘How does the relation between request type and ease of comprehension compare from children to adults?’ Results showed: (1) these children are able to comprehend a wide variety of indirect requests; (2) there is a general developmental pattern of acquisition; (3) interrogative forms are more difficult than declarative forms; (4) conveyed negative requests are more difficult than corresponding conveyed positive requests; (5) children are heavily influenced by the surface polarity of the conveyed request; and (6) the relationship between request type and ease of comprehension is strikingly similar for both children and adults.