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Children's Social Reasoning
Some cognitive scientists study children in order to develop a better sense of how children perceive other people and how this might affect their interactions in the social world.
OwnerDolls
Do young children know that property can change owners?
Children claim toys as soon as they can talk. Learning to share, and understanding when property can be given away, takes children a long time. This study examines how children - aged 2.5 to 5 years - learn the rules of ownership.
Children hear two stories about a ‘toy transfer’ between two characters. In one story, a child receives a present at a birthday party. In another story, a child in the park takes a toy when the owner is not looking. In both stories, the first character who possesses the toy is established as the owner. After each story, we ask questions to see if children believe that ownership has transferred to the second character: “Can the thief take the toy home?” or “Does the birthday girl need to give the toy back?”
Characters in different versions of the stories express emotions - the thief may say “This is great!” or the victim may say “Oh no!”. These variations may change how children interpret the stories, and whether they allow a transfer of ownership.
Results thus far indicate that all children -aged 2.5 to 4 years- do not allow the thief to keep the toy. However, in the birthday story, children under 4 are uncertain whether the birthday girl/boy should return the toy.
This study may help adults better understand how children learn the rules of ownership.
Other Resources
View a video of Dr. Peter Blake discussing related research.
Read about research that examines: Are children generous or selfish?.
Learn about other research related to Children's Social Reasoning.
This research is conducted by the Paul Harris Lab at Harvard University
Try it at the Museum
Mag-neato Engineering!
Watch your child build with the Mag-neatos (magnet ball and stick toys) on the second floor of the Discovery Center.
When playing, does your child share and trade Mag-neatos with other kids? What types of Mag-neatos does your child share, if any? With whom does your child work as a team?
Try it at Home
The unhappy giver?
Using dolls and a toy, tell your child a story about gift-giving at a birthday party. Then ask your child how they think each character feels.
Does your child think the gift-giver is happy or sad? Who does your child think the gift should go home with after the party, the birthday girl/boy or the gift-giver?
Do more toys make it easier to share?
When your child is playing with peers, try to change the number of toys available. If there are 3 children and 2 toys, will there be more fighting or more sharing?
What if there are more toys than children? Does your child seem more willing to share when there are more toys, or fewer toys present?
The Living Laboratory initiative is made possible through support from the National Science Foundation.