TY - JOUR
T1 - Young children's adaptive partner choice in cooperation and competition contexts
AU - Grueneisen, Sebastian
AU - Török, Georgina
AU - Wathiyage Don, Anushari
AU - Ruggeri, Azzurra
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors. Child Development published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society for Research in Child Development.
PY - 2023/11/10
Y1 - 2023/11/10
N2 - Choosing adequate partners is essential for cooperation, but how children calibrate their partner choice to specific social challenges is unknown. In two experiments, 4- to 7-year-olds (N = 189, 49% girls, mostly White, data collection: 03.2021–09.2022) were presented with partners in possession of different positive qualities. Children then recruited partners for hypothetical tasks that differed with respect to the quality necessary for success. Children and the selected partner either worked together toward a common goal or competed against each other. From age 5, children selectively chose individuals in possession of task-relevant qualities as cooperative partners while avoiding them as competitors. Younger children chose partners indiscriminately. Children thus learn to strategically adjust their partner choice depending on context-specific task demands and different social goals.
AB - Choosing adequate partners is essential for cooperation, but how children calibrate their partner choice to specific social challenges is unknown. In two experiments, 4- to 7-year-olds (N = 189, 49% girls, mostly White, data collection: 03.2021–09.2022) were presented with partners in possession of different positive qualities. Children then recruited partners for hypothetical tasks that differed with respect to the quality necessary for success. Children and the selected partner either worked together toward a common goal or competed against each other. From age 5, children selectively chose individuals in possession of task-relevant qualities as cooperative partners while avoiding them as competitors. Younger children chose partners indiscriminately. Children thus learn to strategically adjust their partner choice depending on context-specific task demands and different social goals.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85176574228&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/cdev.14036
DO - 10.1111/cdev.14036
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85176574228
SN - 0009-3920
VL - 95
SP - 1023
EP - 1031
JO - Child Development
JF - Child Development
IS - 3
ER -