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Young children care more about their reputation with ingroup members and potential reciprocators
Author(s) -
Engelmann Jan M.,
Over Harriet,
Herrmann Esther,
Tomasello Michael
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
developmental science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.801
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1467-7687
pISSN - 1363-755X
DOI - 10.1111/desc.12086
Subject(s) - reputation , outgroup , ingroups and outgroups , psychology , social psychology , in group favoritism , developmental psychology , social identity theory , social group , political science , law
Human cooperation depends on individuals caring about their reputation, and so they sometimes attempt to manage them strategically. Here we show that even 5‐year‐old children strategically manage their reputation. In an experimental setting, children shared significantly more resources with an anonymous recipient when (1) the child watching them could reciprocate later, and (2) the child watching them was an ingroup rather than an outgroup member (as established by minimal group markers). This study is not only the first to show that young children selectively invest in their reputation with specific individuals, but also the first to show that we care more about our reputation with ingroup than with outgroup members.