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Sharing in Private and Public Situations: does this really Matter for Children?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 June 2015

Leonardo Rodrigues Sampaio  and
Michelle Franca Dourado Neto Pires
Leonardo Rodrigues Sampaio*
Affiliation:
Universidade Federal do Vale do São Francisco (Brazil)
Michelle Franca Dourado Neto Pires
Affiliation:
Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (Brazil)
*
*Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Leonardo Rodrigues Sampaio. Universidade Federal do Vale do São Francisco – UNIVASF. Colegiado de Psicologia. Av. José de Sá Maniçoba, s/n. Centro. Petrolina (Brazil). 56304–917. Phone: +55–8721016868. E-mail: leorsampaio@yahoo.com.br
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Abstract

The goal of the present study was to examine the influence of social context in young children’s sharing behavior. Sixty-three children, aged between 3 and 8 years, participated in a dictator game in which they were requested to distribute stickers between themselves and an anonymous child. Results showed that the quantities the participants expected to receive were greater than those which were distributed to the others, t(63) = –6, 28, p < .01. Moreover, older participants shared more stickers when they were being observed than when they allocated stickers alone (p = .001, ηp2 = .30). It is believed that increasing age leads to a greater respect for the societal rule of equity. These results are discussed in light of previous studies on sharing behavior during childhood.

Keywords

distributive behaviorchildrenequitypublicprivate
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 18 , 2015 , E42
Copyright
Copyright © Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid 2015 

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