Children's Intuitions about Protected and Unprotected Societies

For 8- to 9-year-olds

This study will take place on a Zoom video call with a researcher! Clicking on the “Schedule a time to participate” button will take you to an online calendar where you can select a date and time that works best for you. A researcher will tell your child a story about two towns: one that is protected by many walls, fences, and locks, and one that is not protected by walls, fences, or locks. We will ask children what they think about the two towns, and the people who live in them.

Past research indicates that from early in life, humans form intuitions about others based on physical cues: They infer other humans' presences, goals, and knowledge from things like crumbs, open drawers, and design choices. The present study aims to answer whether children's intuitions about societies attend to ubiquitous physical cues of protection, like walls, fences, and locks. This line of research will help us better understand the developmental origins of reasoning about societies, particularly ones that are more or less protected, and the expected influence of such societies on the humans who reside in them.

10 minutes

Participants will receive a $5 Amazon.com gift card for completing the study. The gift card will be sent within 24 hours after the appointment is complete. Only one gift card per participant and the participant must be in the study age range in order to receive the gift card.