The Role of Recipient’s Routine Behaviors and Intergroup Relations in the Development of Children’s Sharing Behaviors

Abstract

Sharing resources with others is an important prosocial behavior, which is widely developed in early childhood. A considerable number of studies have demonstrated that single characteristic of the recipient (routine behaviours, intergroup relations) have an impact on sharing in children. However, there is still a lack of understanding of the factors that influence sharing decisions in children with dual characteristics. In Experiment 1, 112 children aged 4-6 years (Mage = 5.55, 56 girls) participated in sharing tests and the results indicated that older children (aged 5 and 6 years) were more willing to share as well as sharing more stickers. Meanwhile, children shared more stickers with recipients that have good routine behaviors than those who have poor ones. In Experiment 2, 134 children aged 4-6 years (Mage = 5.47, 63 girls) were invited to share stickers with a recipient with dual characteristics. The results indicated that children shared more stickers when the recipient was a friend and exhibited good routine behaviour. Conversely, they shared more stickers with a stranger who had good routine behaviors than with a friend who had poor ones. Therefore, children are selective in their sharing, and when confronted with a recipient with dual characteristics, children place more importance on the recipient’s prior performance of moral norms than on interpersonal distance.