Parental Autonomy Granting Predicts Children’s Endorsement of Free Choice Among Singaporean Chinese and Malays

• In Event: Examining familial and early developmental processes among ethnic majority and minority families in Asia

Abstract

In the Western context, children rapidly develop an understanding about free choice during early childhood. For example, while 4-year-olds from the U.S. typically claim they have to do what they desire, 6-year-olds start to realize that they have the free will to refrain from their desires (Kushnir et al., 2015). However, less is known about whether the same developmental trajectory can be observed in non-Western countries or among minority groups, as parents from these cultures may not emphasize personal freedom as much when socializing children. For example, past research has shown that Singaporean children, especially Malays who are an ethic minority, are more reluctant than their American peers to endorse the freedom to act against norms (Chernyak, et al., 2019). In this study we examine whether such culture differences also exist in children’s endorsement of the freedom to act against their own desire, or to do something that is hard. We also explore whether these differences are related to different parenting practices, such as allowing children to make decisions for themselves. Children’s free will is measured via an online interview during which children faced undesired or hard tasks in 8 hypothetical scenarios, and answered whether they could choose to complete these tasks. In addition, for our Singaporean sample we collected parental report of autonomy granting as part of a parental questionnaire.

Results from 112 Singaporean children (Mage = 6.9 years, Range = 4.1 to 9.9 years, 51 boys, 95 Chinese) and 122 American children (Mage = 6.9 years, Range = 4.0 to 9.8 years, 61 boys) showed that after controlling for age, culture predicted children’s overall free will beliefs, F(2,230) = 14.6, p < .001 (Figure 1). Singaporean Chinese children were less likely to endorse free choice than American children, B = 0.14, p < .001, and Singaporean Malay children were less likely to endorse free choice than Singaporean Chinese, B = 0.14, p = .03. These cultural differences were significant for the “undesired” items: F(2,230) = 28.3, p < .001, American – Singaporean Chinese: B = 0.22, p < .001, Singaporean Chinese – Singaporean Malay: B = 0.15, p = .03; but not for the “hard” items: F(2,229) = 2.7, p = .07. Overall free will beliefs increased with age among American children, B = 0.07, p < .001, and Singaporean Chinese, B = 0.05, p < .001, but not among Singaporean Malays, B = -0.01, p = .7. Self-reported autonomy granting did not differ between Singaporean Chinese and Malay parents, t(110) = 0.18, p = .9. Parental autonomy granting predicted children’s free will beliefs after controlling for children’s age, B = 0.11, p < .001, both for Singaporean Chinese, B = 0.08, p < .001, and Singaporean Malays, B = 0.20, p = .01 (Figure 2). These results suggest that parental autonomy granting plays a vital role in Singaporean children’s development of free will beliefs, though this factor alone cannot explain the different developmental trajectories observed among Singaporean Chinese and Malay children.

Authors

• Yue Yu, Nanyang Technological University
  Presenting Author

• Jing Ting Ong

• Jallene Chua, National Institute of Education

• Mary Simpson, Cornell University

• Tamar Kushnir, Duke Univeristy