Communicative eye contact signals a commitment to cooperate for young children

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Science
• Developmental Psychology
• Social Psychology

Background:

• Cooperation is facilitated by commitments.
• A theoretical debate exists on whether linguistic acts are necessary for promissory obligations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To experimentally investigate if minimal, nonverbal communicative behavior can be interpreted as a commitment to cooperate.
• To determine if communicative nonverbal actions, distinct from non-communicative ones, signal commitment.

Main Methods:

• Five- to 7-year-old children participated in a Stag Hunt coordination game.
• During decision-making, partners made either ostensive, communicative eye contact or non-communicative looks.

Main Results:

• Communicative looks generated an expectation of collaboration in children.
• Children in the communicative look condition protested when partners did not cooperate, indicating an understanding of commitment.

Conclusions:

• Communicative nonverbal behavior, specifically eye contact, can signal a commitment to cooperate.
• This study provides the first experimental evidence that communicative looks, in context, establish promissory obligations.