Children's evaluative judgements of conformers and nonconformers

Abstract

The present research examined children's generalisations about people based on their decisions to conform to descriptive norms. This issue was examined in South Korea, where conformity tends to be highly valued. Younger (4–6 years) and older (9–11 years) children (total N = 197) were asked to evaluate the personal qualities of conformers and nonconformers. Results showed that children in both age groups rated nonconformers more negatively than conformers in terms of moral character, intelligence, popularity, and likeability. Ratings of conformers showed minimal age‐related change. In contrast, ratings of nonconformers were more positive with age, except for popularity ratings. This work sheds light on how children use information about conformity to make specific inferences about what individuals are generally like.