Who helps best? Children’s evaluation of knowledgeable versus wealthy individuals in negative event contexts

Abstract

Children favor knowledgeable people in information-seeking contexts, but is this preference maintained when other resources are available to resolve problems? This study addressed whether children relied on knowledge or wealth to decide who is qualified to help someone in need. Sixty-four 5- to 8-year-olds heard stories in which two bystanders (i.e., knowledgeable versus wealthy) witnessed a negative event. Children judged which bystander should assist a victim and which should supervise the situation. Children evaluated each bystander’s strategies and duty to help. Across ages, children indicated that the knowledgeable bystander should provide aid, supervise, and help more than the wealthy bystander, but made positive trait attributions about both bystanders. Children referenced how knowledge could produce solutions and with age, were better able to make knowledge- rather than wealth-related predictions about helpful behavior. These findings shed light on children’s understanding of wealth and draw connections between children’s reasoning about knowledge, wealth, and morality.