Is it better to have the same things or different things?

For 7- to 10-year-olds

This study will take place on a video call, live with a researcher! Clicking on the “Schedule a time to participate” button will send you to an online calendar where you can select a date and time that works for you.

During the study, your child will hear short stories about different characters. Some of these characters will appear alongside a variety of things (like different types of playgrounds) and some will appear alongside the same things (like multiple playgrounds that are the same). We will then ask children questions about these characters to determine whether having all the same things or different things matters to children.

Young children are quite skilled at identifying and reasoning about explicit cues to wealth (e.g., having more vs. less); however, children's reasoning about less obvious cues to wealth have largely not been studied. Yet, these more subtle cues may reflect important aspects of wealth inequality that disproportionally affect outcomes for lower- and higher-income children.

For example, although students in well-resourced and under-resourced schools may have access to the same number of courses, students in well-resourced schools may have access to a range of more advanced courses, increasing their competitiveness for college compared to students in under-resourced schools.

As this example illustrates, it is important to understand not only how children think about those who have more vs. less, but also those who have access to a variety of things vs. those who do not.

In short, this study (and others like it) will advance our understanding of children’s social cognition about wealth.

30 minutes

We email you a $15 prepaid Visa card at the end of the session! To receive compensation, your child needs to be in the age range for the study and needs to be visible on the Zoom call.