Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: In the current study, we asked whether children recognize initial inequalities in resources and the effect of these inequalities on subsequent outcomes. We presented 6‐ to 8‐year‐old children with a series of vignettes in which characters’ contribution and effort to a joint task were manipulated, along with the tool they had to complete the task, which affected their relative advantage. Each vignette contained a situation where two children had to help a third person dig pails of sand. In each scenario, the number of pails each child dug, as well as the type of shovel (making it easier or harder for them to dig), was manipulated. Children were asked how rewards should be distributed and who they believed worked harder. We found that children weighed outcome, or the number of pails of sand produced, more heavily than other factors, and only the oldest children showed evidence of considering initial inequalities and effort when making decisions about resource allocation.
Source: Social Development
DOI: 10.1111/sode.12778
Authors: Emily Kim, Vanessa LoBue
Institution: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Language: English
Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Reduced inequalities
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,400
Funder: James S. McDonnell Foundation
OpenAlex ID: W4404018086