Give as I give: Adult influence on children’s giving in two cultures

•Adult influence on children’s giving was tested in rural India and the US.•Parents demonstrated a generous or a selfish donation in an experiment.•Children observed and then donated in private.•Children gave less after the selfish model in both societies.•Children gave more after the generous model...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of experimental child psychology 2016-12, Vol.152, p.149-160
Main Authors: Blake, Peter R., Corbit, John, Callaghan, Tara C., Warneken, Felix
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Altruism
Child
Child Behavior
Child, Preschool
Children & youth
Cross cultural studies
Cross-cultural
Cross-Cultural Comparison
Cultural evolution
Cultural values
Dictator Game
Female
Gift Giving
Humans
Imitation
India
Learning
Male
Parent-Child Relations
Rural Health
Social learning
Socialization
United States
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Summary:•Adult influence on children’s giving was tested in rural India and the US.•Parents demonstrated a generous or a selfish donation in an experiment.•Children observed and then donated in private.•Children gave less after the selfish model in both societies.•Children gave more after the generous model only in India. Adult influence on children’s altruistic behavior may differ between cultural communities. We used an experimental approach to assess the influence of adult models on children’s altruistic giving in a city in the United States and rural villages in India. Children between 3 and 8 years of age were tested with their parents in the United States (n=163) and India (n=154). Parents modeled either a generous or stingy donation; children then performed a similar task in private. Children in both communities were influenced by the stingy model, but only children in India increased their giving after viewing a generous model. The model’s influence also increased with age in India. Results of a questionnaire revealed that parents in both communities believed that children learned sharing behavior from them. We consider these results in light of differences between these societies, including different socialization goals, cultural values, and content biases that may affect altruistic giving.
ISSN:0022-0965
1096-0457
DOI:10.1016/j.jecp.2016.07.010