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It's payback time: Preschoolers selectively request resources from someone they had benefitted

Markus Paulus1

  • 1Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München.

Developmental Psychology
|July 1, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Preschool children expect reciprocity and strategically ask for resources from those they benefited most. This early strategic behavior indicates developing reciprocity expectations in young children.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Social Psychology
  • Behavioral Economics

Background:

  • Reciprocity is fundamental for social relationships and cooperation.
  • Understanding the origins of reciprocity expectations in early childhood is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether preschool children possess reciprocity expectations.
  • To examine if young children strategically request resources based on prior giving.

Main Methods:

  • Preschool children (3-5 years) allocated resources to two recipients.
  • Children then requested resources from one of the recipients.
  • Experiments manipulated recipient presence and children's focus on absolute vs. relative giving.

Main Results:

  • Children strategically requested resources from the recipient they had previously benefited more.
  • This selective request was absent when recipients were not present during allocation.
  • Children focused on the absolute amount given, not relative generosity.

Conclusions:

  • Preschool children demonstrate early reciprocity expectations.
  • Early social behavior is strategic, with children anticipating reciprocation.
  • This study provides foundational evidence for the development of reciprocity in young children.

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