Quinton, Beatriz, and Elspeth are playing a game of hide and seek in Quinton's house, where Beatriz is it and must find Quinton and Elspeth. Before starting the game, all three were in the living room when Beatriz closed her eyes to count. Quinton then ran upstairs to hide in the attic, while Elspeth hid in the kitchen pantry. While Beatriz was still counting with her eyes closed, Quinton sneezed loudly enough to be heard throughout the house. Based on the sneeze, Beatriz thinks Quinton hid somewhere upstairs. As Beatriz finishes counting, Elspeth quietly moves from the kitchen pantry to the upstairs bathroom to hide there instead, without Beatriz or Quinton knowing. Where will Beatriz search first for Quinton and Elspeth, and why? Provide a brief response.
Beatriz will first search for Quinton and Elspeth upstairs because she heard Quinton sneeze while she was counting, leading her to reasonably deduce that Quinton chose a hiding spot on the upper floor of the house. Beatriz does not know that Elspeth has moved from her original hiding spot in the kitchen pantry to the upstairs bathroom--that information is not available to her since Elspeth moved silently while Beatriz was counting with her eyes closed. Therefore, Beatriz's initial search will be guided by the auditory clue provided by Quinton's sneeze. Without any additional noise or information to suggest that Elspeth is also upstairs, Beatriz is likely to believe that Elspeth is still hiding somewhere on the ground floor. However, her decision of where to search will be primarily influenced by the louder and more definite clue regarding Quinton's location upstairs. After searching upstairs, if she does not find Elspeth in the process, she might then proceed to search the ground floor for Elspeth.