The Different Faces of Generous Giving: Children’s Understanding of Generalized, Strategic, and Corrupt Reciprocity

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Abstract

Humans are the champions of reciprocity (Nowak, 2006). Not only do we help each other, but we also return favors and motivate others to do the same. Doing so facilitates cooperation and morality, which are fundamental aspects of human sociality (e.g., Haidt, 2007; Nowak & Sigmund, 2005). However, not all favors should be encouraged or reciprocated (e.g., bribes involving public officials). Given this complexity, children face a meaningful developmental challenge when identifying whether reciprocity is expected by others, inducible, or (un)ethical. Here, four mutually informing papers examine American and German children’s understanding of reciprocity using a diverse set of experimental paradigms. Paper 1 shows that 3- to 6-year-old children are attentive to others’ past generosity and expect it to be reciprocated, both directly (as payback) and indirectly (paid forward). Paper 2 illustrates that by age 7, children are capable not only of reciprocating past generosity, but also of inducing future reciprocity (by being generous when directly interacting with potential future partners). Paper 3 demonstrates that by age 8, children also motivate future reciprocity in others even when direct interaction is not possible (by being generous with third-parties while watched by potential future partners). Paper 4 documents that by age 10, children recognize the potential of generous gifts to induce reciprocation, and rebuke gift-giving if it goes against some common good (money given to contest judges by contestants). Taken together, these findings document multiple developmental milestones that meaningfully extend our understanding of the ontogeny of humans’ preferences for reciprocity.

Sub Unit

• Moral Development

Chairs

• Boli Reyes-Jaquez, University of New Hampshire

• Melissa A. Koenig, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Individual Presentations

• Preschoolers Expect Generalized Reciprocity, but Only Older Preschoolers Show a Beginning Normative Understanding of Reciprocity - Presenting Author: Samuel Essler, Ludwig-Maximilans-Universität München; Non-Presenting Author: Monika Wörle, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München; Non-Presenting Author: Markus Paulus, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

• From Retrospective to Prospective Reciprocity - Presenting Author: Felix Warneken, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

• Children Engage in Strategic Competitive Altruism with Peers - Presenting Author: Esther Herrmann, University of Portsmouth; Non-Presenting Author: Jan Engelmann, University of California - Berkeley; Non-Presenting Author: Michael Tomasello, Duke University

• Attitude Towards Bribery in Early Childhood - Presenting Author: Boli Reyes-Jaquez, University of New Hampshire; Non-Presenting Author: Melissa A. Koenig, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities