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Effects of peer relationship and peer presence on giving and repaying in preschoolers' triad interactions

Xia Li1, Xiling Wu1, Mulan Hou1

  • 1Institute of Education, Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University, Nanchang, China.

Psych Journal
|February 16, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Preschoolers show fairness to strangers but not friends when giving. In repaying, friends show reciprocity, while strangers are less inclined, especially with peers present. This highlights differing social dynamics in early relationships.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Social Psychology
  • Behavioral Economics

Background:

  • Understanding social preferences in early childhood is crucial for developmental psychology.
  • Preschoolers' interactions shape their social and emotional development.
  • Peer relationships influence decision-making and resource allocation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess preschool children's social preferences in dynamic interactions.
  • To examine the impact of peer relationships (friend vs. stranger) on giving and repaying behaviors.
  • To investigate the effect of peer presence (presence vs. absence) on these social preferences.

Main Methods:

  • Ninety-nine preschool children participated in a triad game.
  • The game involved two mixed-dictator games to assess giving and repaying.
  • Allocations were analyzed to understand social preferences towards friends and strangers under different conditions.

Main Results:

  • Children exhibited altruistic and fair preferences when giving to strangers, but not to friends.
  • Strangers displayed egoistic preferences in repaying.
  • Children allocated more resources to strangers than friends and more in peer presence.
  • Friends reciprocated positively in peer absence, while strangers consistently repaid less.

Conclusions:

  • Findings support the 'weak ties' assumption in giving and 'strong ties' in repaying.
  • Early childhood interactions reveal distinct patterns in social preferences based on relationship strength.
  • This research enhances understanding of social dynamics and relationship development in young children.

Keywords:
givingpeer presencepeer relationshiprepayingtriad interaction

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