The study, published in Child Development, found that children and adults believe negative past events forecast negative future events, however, young girls and women more likely to believe negative past events predict future harm, compared to males.

Using a sample of 128 people that included children ages 3 to 6 as well as adults, the researcher tested reactions to stories involving negative events and found female children and adults more frequently explained characters’ reactions motivated by possible versus certain harm and more frequently predicted characters encountering someone who only looked similar to one causing past harm would feel worried.

Between ages 3 and 6, children increasingly understood how memories about past negative events influence their anticipation of the future, study author Kristin Hansen Lagattuta, of the University of California, Davis, said.

"These results are significant because they reveal that knowledge about the impact of past-to-future thinking on emotions and behaviors develops during the preschool years," Lagattuta said in a statement.