3-196 - Children’s Balancing of Competing Self- and Other-Oriented Goals

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

Becoming a societal member requires learning to balance varying self-regarding goals, the interests of others and broader communal goals. The relative weighing of specific self-interested versus beyond-the-self aims may shift with age and context. The four papers presented in this symposium explore children’s social-oriented decisions in circumstances in which something they value is at stake (e.g., a reward, their autonomy, social relationships). Interactions between factors centered on—versus beyond—the self are explored, providing insights on theoretical and real-life applications.

The first paper evaluates preschoolers’ concerns with fairness versus self-interest. Only younger children markedly favored an unfair over fair distributor when benefited by her toy allocations—prioritizing self-interest over fairness. The second paper examines preschoolers’ reliance on individuals who may benefit versus hinder them (by multiplying vs. stealing prizes, respectively). Children used their knowledge of individuals’ goals to protect their own interests, selectively mistrusting ill-intended individuals. The third paper tests whether elementary schoolers’ instructing varies by self-interest and affiliation. If interests conflicted, only older children thwarted their friends’ prize-finding attempts—prioritizing self-interest over affiliation. The fourth paper implements a psychological intervention that recognizes the value of autonomy to adolescents. Teenagers favored healthy eating when framed as a conscious rebellion against manipulative corporations (vs. for long-term health).

These findings at various points in development suggest that: from an early age children are attentive to, and make use of, their own and others’ goals to make social-oriented decisions. Knowledge of which goals children most value can be used to design effective interventions.

Sub Unit

• Social Cognition

Chairs

• Bolivar Reyes Jaquez, University of Texas at Austin

• Catharine H. Echols, University of Texas at Austin

Individual Presentations

• Preschoolers Distribute Goods Fairly, and Prefer Fair Others, Unless it Conflicts With Their Own Interests - Presenting Author: Margarita L Svetlova, Max Planck Institute; Katharina Hamann, Developmental and Comparative Psychology; Selina Brinch, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology; Michael Tomasello, Max Planck Institute

• Children’s Sensitivity to Ulterior Motives When Evaluating Testimony - Presenting Author: Iris Oved, Univ of California San Diego; Gail D Heyman, Univ of California-San Diego; David A Barner, University of California, San Diego

• Effects of Self-Interest and Affiliation on Children’s Instructing - Presenting Author: Bolivar Reyes Jaquez, University of Texas at Austin; Catharine H. Echols, University of Texas at Austin

• Sticking it to the Man: Framing Healthy Eating as Rebellious and Socially Conscious Shapes Teens' Attitudes Toward Healthy Choices - Presenting Author: Christopher Bryan, UCSD; David Scott Yeager, University of Texas at Austin; Cintia Hinojosa, University of Texas at Austin; Mari Kawamura, University of California, San Diego