What can the class president do at school?

For 5- to 10- years old who can understand and speak English.

In this study, your child will watch a video about an election for class president. One student becomes class president, but sometimes they win in a fair way and sometimes in an unfair way. After watching the video, your child will be asked questions about the student who became class president, the election process, and what the class president should be able to do.

We are broadly studying how children think about elected leadership. People often have to choose leaders and decide who should have the power and authority to make rules. We are interested in how children think about what makes a leader fair or unfair, and whether leaders who win in fair ways are seen as more legitimate or trustworthy. By studying these ideas, we hope to learn more about how children reason about procedural fairness, authority, and the social world around them.

15 minutes

Participants will be emailed a $5 (US dollars) Amazon.com gift card within 7 days. To receive the gift card, your child must be between the ages of 5- to 10-years-old, and must be visible during the entire session. Children may only participate and receive compensation once.