Children manage their reputation by caring about gossip

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AbstractIndividuals engage in reputation management by adjusting their behaviour in front of others. As gossip plays an important role in human society, individuals need to concern themselves with not only a present observer's evaluations but also non‐present people's impressions. In this study, we investigated whether 4‐ and 8‐year‐old children (N = 144) would adjust their sharing behaviours when presented with the possibility of an observer's gossiping. We manipulated whether the receiver of gossip could identify the child being gossiped about by using real‐life group boundaries. The children shared their treats with an anonymous peer in front of an observer under three conditions. In the same‐group gossip condition, the observer told the children that she would report their behaviour to their friends. In the different‐group gossip condition, the children's behaviours were to be reported to an unknown peer (from a different kindergarten or elementary school). In the no‐gossip condition, the observer would not gossip. Children from both age groups shared more treats in the two gossip conditions than in the no‐gossip circumstance, regardless of whether the gossip receiver could identify them. These findings suggest that 4‐ and 8‐year‐old children attempt to manage their reputation when they could be a target of gossip.