Learning the rules of the game: The role of generic “you” and “we” in shaping children's interpretations of norms

A critical skill of childhood is learning social norms. We examine whether the generic pronouns “you” and “we,” which frame information as applying to people in general rather than to a specific individual, facilitate this process. In one pre‐registered experiment conducted online between 2020 and 2...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Child development 2023-01, Vol.94 (1), p.159-171
Main Authors: Orvell, Ariana, Elli, Giulia, Umscheid, Valerie, Simmons, Ella, Kross, Ethan, Gelman, Susan A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age Differences
Age effects
Behavior Standards
Child
Child Development
Child, Preschool
Childhood
Children
Decision Making
Female
Form Classes (Languages)
Humans
Interpersonal Relationship
Judgment
Language
Language Usage
Learning
Male
Preschool Children
Pronouns
Social Behavior
Social discrimination learning
Social Norms
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Summary:A critical skill of childhood is learning social norms. We examine whether the generic pronouns “you” and “we,” which frame information as applying to people in general rather than to a specific individual, facilitate this process. In one pre‐registered experiment conducted online between 2020 and 2021, children 4‐ to 9‐year‐old primarily living in the midwestern U.S. (N = 146, 75 girls, 71 boys, Mage = 7.14, SD = 1.69, 82% White) interpreted actions described with generic pronouns (vs. “I”) as normatively correct and selected the speaker who used generic pronouns as the rule‐follower, particularly when generic pronouns were presented first. There were no significant effects of age. These results illustrate how generic pronouns influence how children discern unfamiliar norms and form interpersonal judgments.
ISSN:0009-3920
1467-8624
DOI:10.1111/cdev.13846