Does third-party punishment in children aim at equality

Bibliographic Data

ID9788602
AuthorsYoung-Eun Lee (0000-0002-1392-0514, corresponding author), Felix Warneken (0000-0002-4799-2559)
Year2022
Volume58
Issue5
Pages866-873
Publication date2022-05-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueDevelopmental Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0012-1649 • E-ISSN: 1939-0599
PublisherAmerican Psychological Association (APA) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1037/dev0001331
PMID35324225
OpenAlexW4220997557
LanguageEN
Citations received4

Third-party punishment has been regarded as an important mechanism to promote fairness. Although previous research has shown that children aged 6 and older punish unfair behaviors at a personal cost, it is unknown whether they actually intend to establish equality or whether equality is a mere byproduct of punishment. In this preregistered study, N = 60 five- to 9-year-olds witnessed that an agent made unfair resource allocations to a peer. Children could then decide not only whether to punish but also how much to punish. We found that with age, children's intervention is more likely to equalize outcomes between third parties (e.g., turning 3:1 into 1:1). In conclusion, the egalitarian motive to reduce differences in payoffs could underlie children's punishment over development. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Developmental psychology · Intervention (counseling · MEDLINE · Political science · PsycINFO · Punishment (psychology · Behavioral and Psychological Studies · Behavioral Health and Interventions · Child and Animal Learning Development · Law · Psychology · Social Psychology

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