Exploring disadvantageous inequality aversion in children: how cost and discrepancy influence decision-making.

Amanda Williams,Chris Moore

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01088

Abstract

This research examined disadvantageous inequality aversion in 4- and 6-year-old children. Using the resource allocation paradigm, we explored how inequality aversion was influenced by whether a cost was associated with the equitable choice. We also investigated whether preferences for equality differed depending on whether the inequitable choice presented a small or large discrepancy between the payoff of the participant and their partner. The results demonstrated that cost plays a large role in decision-making, as children preferred equality more when there was no cost associated with it compared to when there was a cost. Interestingly, the effect of cost also affected discrepancy, with children more likely to choose equality when the discrepancy was large as opposed to small, in cost trials but not in no cost trials. Finally, the effect of discrepancy also interacted with age, with older children being more sensitive to the discrepancy between themselves and their partner. Together, these results suggest that children’s behavior is not indiscriminately guided by a generalized aversion to inequality or established fairness norms. Alternate motives for inequality aversion are discussed.

Highlights

A concern for fairness is important in motivating human cooperation and prosocial behavior
Children may be motivated by prosociality in situations where they can forgo a reward in order to deliver a benefit to a partner or by envy resulting from social comparison in situations where they can act to prevent another receiving more than themselves (Shaw and Olson, 2012)
The present study examines possible motivations underlying children’s resource allocation, in situations in which they are potentially at a disadvantage compared to a partner

Summary

Introduction

A concern for fairness is important in motivating human cooperation and prosocial behavior. Young children demonstrate a sensitivity to inequality in resource distribution situations in which they are one of the recipients. Whether children are motivated by fairness concerns in such situations remains unclear. Children may be motivated by prosociality in situations where they can forgo a reward in order to deliver a benefit to a partner or by envy resulting from social comparison in situations where they can act to prevent another receiving more than themselves (Shaw and Olson, 2012). The present study examines possible motivations underlying children’s resource allocation, in situations in which they are potentially at a disadvantage compared to a partner. Before elaborating on the particular approach used in the current study, we first briefly describe related work on children’s decision-making in such situations

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