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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 28, 2026

The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies

The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies

Published on: August 25, 2023

Children discard a resource to avoid inequity.

Alex Shaw¹, Kristina R Olson

¹Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520-8205, USA. alex.shaw@yale.edu

Journal of Experimental Psychology. General

|October 19, 2011

Summary

Children as young as 6 prefer to discard resources rather than distribute them unequally, demonstrating true inequity aversion. This suggests early development of fairness and equity concerns, impacting social behavior.

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Area of Science:

Developmental Psychology
Behavioral Economics
Social Neuroscience

Background:

Understanding inequity aversion is crucial for comprehending adult fairness considerations.
Previous studies show adults and children reduce inequity, but the underlying motivation (true aversion vs. social comparison/welfare) remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

To determine if children exhibit genuine inequity aversion.
To investigate the developmental trajectory of fairness considerations in young children.

Main Methods:

Resource distribution task involving 3- to 8-year-old children distributing resources to third parties.
Analysis of children's choices to discard resources rather than distribute them unequally.

Main Results:

6- to 8-year-old children chose to discard resources over unequal distribution, indicating equity concerns can override maximal sharing.
Children's decisions were not influenced by a desire to avoid recipient distress or a preference for visual symmetry.
Children even sacrificed personal resources to prevent inequitable outcomes.

Conclusions:

Inequity aversion is present in children as young as 6 years old.
The study introduces a novel method for assessing inequity aversion in children.
Findings necessitate new theoretical models to explain the evolutionary basis of inequity aversion.