The developmental approach to young children's strategic social cognition and behaviour

Abstract

This study explores the development of strategic behaviour related to kindness and intelligence dimensions in 3-to 8-year-old children. Previous research systematically highlighted the affective bias that limited young children's thinking and behaving in strategic terms. We argue that young children are able to grasp specific dimensions of social affordances from personality traits and behaviour exemplifying these traits. The results obtained in the partner choice paradigm revealed a developmental increase in social utility understanding. This supports our hypothesis of early social affordances understanding and provides empirical evidence that affective bias did not drastically influence strategic partner choice in 4-to 8-year-old children.

Young children selectively seek help when solving problems

“…Given that they view individuals showing evidence of high competence and social engagement as better potential sources of help than those who lack evidence of those qualities, it raises the question of whether one of these qualities might carry greater significance. On the one hand, it is possible that young children care a great deal about friendliness compared to competence (Leonova & Dubois, 2002). On the other hand, findings of selective help-offering toward individuals low in competence and friendliness suggest that young children may be focusing on competence in this type of task because it is unlikely that children would have a greater desire to help someone who is unfriendly.…”