Do children prefer peers who benefit the group?

For 4- to 8-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. In this study, your child will listen to short stories featuring two peers who made different strategic decisions in a game. One peer is motivated to win a prize for their group, whereas the other is motivated to win a prize for themselves. After listening to the stories, your child will be asked a few questions about which peer they would rather learn from and ask for more information about the game, such as "This is a new boy in school. He is not a part of either teams and he does not know how to play the guessing game. Who should he ask to teach him the rules of the game? The boy on your team or the boy on the blue team?"

This study explores how children respond when peers who make different decisions based on their own motivations. Although are generally willing to trust their peers, they might show skepticism towards peers who are motivated by selfish reasons. We want to understand whether children notice these differences in motivation and whether it affects who they prefer to learn from and ask for help. This question is important because being able to choose a reliable and generous peer helps children become better learners and make sense of the world around them.

15 minutes

As a token of our appreciation, we will email you a $5 Amazon gift card (from Amazon.com) within a week of your participation. If you participate again with another child in the specified age range, you will receive one gift card per child. To be eligible for compensation, your child must be within the age range and visible in the video.