Previous research has shown that children actively evaluate the reliability of spoken information, however relatively little is known about how children evaluate written information. Once a child learns to read, written sources present a large opportunity to learn new information, although this is not always reliable, especially with the availability of information on the internet.

Previous research suggests that young children are more likely to believe a written source than a spoken one.

This study investigated if greater trust in text is due to it being perceived as more salient and permanent that spoken testimony or if children perceive written information to be anonymous and not attributed to an author therefore having little reason to question it's reliability.