Power and social relationships

Power and social relationships

SaxeLab (Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT))

Who Can Participate

For 7-year-old children, who speak English

What Happens

Your child will watch short videos of cute characters engaging in novel actions such as daxing. They will then answer questions about one character punishing another (e.g., sending them to time-out) for daxing.

What We're Studying

We are studying children's understanding of power and social relationships. Prior research has shown that 5- to 10-year-olds do not judge people who discipline wrongdoers positively. However, it was unclear whether people who disciplined others had legitimate power to do so. For example, who should discipline other people? Do children think that people who care about justice should discipline others than those who do not care about justice? Do they think that people who are supported by group members should discipline others in the group than those who are not supported? Studying these questions will help us better understand how children interpret and understand the social and moral world around them.

Duration

15 minutes

Compensation

Within about a week of completing the study, you will receive a $5 amazon gift code (Amazon.com) by email once we verify your consent video, that your child is in the correct age range. To be valid, consent videos need to show the caregiver of the child who is participating. Your child should be visible during the study. Only one gift card per child is available.

This study is conducted by Rebecca Saxe (contact: yelee@mit.edu).

Would you like to participate in this study?