Enhancing Same-Gender Imitation by Highlighting Gender Norms in Preschool Children: The “Double Social Effect”

• In Event: Contextual and individual differences in young children’s cultural learning

Abstract

As children develop, imitative flexibility increases, which enables them to switch between conventional (prioritization of customs/practices) and instrumental (prioritization on physical goals) approaches to social learning (Legare & Nielson, 2015; Meltzoff & Williamson, 2013; Over & Carpenter, 2012). Although there has been burgeoning attention to the role of cultural norms in child’s learning, there has been insufficient study of the specific role of gender-related norms and gender identity in modulating imitative behavior. If a girl is given information that girls tend to do behavior-X, will this heighten their imitation of behavior-X, even if it is an inefficient behavior pattern for reaching an instrumental goal?
We investigated this across two experiments in China using an over-imitation paradigm. China was selected for three reasons: (a) it is a non-WEIRD country, (b) it encompasses one-fifth of the world’s population, and (c) it is a “collectivist” culture which emphasizes group cohesion.
In Experiment 1, 271 3- and 5-year-olds served as participants. They saw a same-gender model demonstrate an inefficient method (a series of unnecessary actions) and an opposite-gender model demonstrate an efficient method to achieve a goal. Children were randomly assigned to three independent groups designed to systematically increase the salience of gender-identity and gender norms by using: (a) same-gender adults to model the behavior (without verbal cues) versus (b) such modelling with the addition of explicit gender labelling (e.g., “I am a girl”) versus (c) the further addition of linguistically stated gender norms (e.g., “girls play like this”). An ANOVA revealed that children in the experimental group highlighting both gender norms and gender identity produced the significantly more high-fidelity imitation, F(3, 263)=18.54, p<.001, especially within 5-year-olds, t(263)=3.14, p=.039 (Figure 1). We label this the “double social effect,” because there was special power to identifying both the gender of the model and the gender norms.
We also conducted Experiment 2 with 64 new 5-year-olds. In this experimentstudy we used two independent groups. In Group-1, the same-gender model performed the inefficient method (as in Experiment 1); in Group-2, the opposite-gender model performed the inefficient method. In both groups the adult verbally labeled their own gender and the gender norms. As predicted, there was significantly more imitation for the same-gender model, t(62)=11.36, p< .001.
This work provides novel insights into how generic language about social groups and norms can directly influence children’s imitative behaviors (e.g., Rhodes, et al., 2018, 2019). Adults’ use of language about social identity and norms—the “double social effect”—may be even more impactful than previously thought in influencing children’s cultural learning.

Authors

• Zhidan Wang, Jiangsu Normal University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Frankie T. K. Fong, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
  Presenting Author

• Andrew N Meltzoff, University of Washington
  Non-Presenting Author