Win-win or lose-lose

Children prefer the form of equality

Dados Bibliográficos

ID21282425
AutoresRui Ma (0000-0002-3367-674X, Beijing Union University), Yulu Chen (0000-0003-2298-1842, Beijing Union University, autor correspondente), Qian Xu (0000-0001-8130-0846, Beijing Union University), Nan Wu (0000-0003-4337-892X, Beijing Union University, autor correspondente)
Ano2024
Volume246
Páginas104251
Data de publicação2024-06-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoActa Psychologica (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0001-6918 • E-ISSN: 1873-6297
EditoraElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104251
PMID38626598
OpenAlexW4394835951
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas1
Referências citadas51

In middle childhood, children's sense of fairness further develops, they are willing to pay a cost to maintain equality. Win-win and lose-lose are two forms of equality. Win-win equality refers to both parties maximizing benefits, while lose-lose equality means both parties incurring the maximum loss. Win-win equality allows third party upholding fairness to gain more reputational benefits without the violator being punished, embodying the principle of "benefiting oneself without harming others". On the other hand, lose-lose equality is a more deterrent form of fairness with the violator getting punished, and the third-party might experience a situation of "effort without appreciation." However, the specific form of equality which school-aged children prefer still requires further exploration. Therefore, adopting the dictator game paradigm of third-party punishment, we design two experiments to investigate the fairness preference of first to fourth-grade children when acting as a third party and to clarify patterns of age-related changes. Study 1 (N = 111) explored children's preferred form of fairness under advantageous inequity conditions. Study 2 (N = 122) further examined children's fairness preferences in disadvantageous inequity situations. The findings suggest that when confronted with inequitable distributions, whether rooted in disadvantageous or advantageous inequity, children display a notable tendency to utilize third-party punishment to achieve an equal allocation. Meanwhile, this tendency strengthens as they progress in grade levels. Notably, children consistently manifest a preference for win-win equality, highlighting their inclination towards mutually beneficial outcomes

Corporal punishment · Dictator · Dictator game · Economics · Inequality · Inequity aversion · Internet privacy · Microeconomics · Political science · Politics · Preference · Punishment (psychology) · Third party · Win-win game · Child and Animal Learning Development · Computer Science · Law · Psychology · Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Social Psychology