Young Chinese Children's Authority Concepts

Abstract

Using multilevel analyses, we examined the influence of domain (moral, conventional, and personal) and the familiarity of different authority figures (mother, teacher, person in charge, and stranger) in public, school, or home settings in 123 four to seven-yearold Chinese children (M = 5.6 years) in Hong Kong. Children affirmed authority more for moral and conventional than personal events, based primarily on punishment avoidance and conventional justifications. Children judged that they should obey mothers more than all other authorities and the person-in charge in the associated setting and the teacher more than strangers. At school, teachers were seen as having more authority over moral and conventional events than mothers whereas at home, mothers had more authority than teachers over all issues. With age, children increasingly evaluated mothers' authority as generalizable across contexts for the moral event; reflecting the importance of familiarity, mothers were seen as having more authority to extend her regulation outside the home, including for personal events, than teachers' authority outside the school.

Students' perceptions of school climate in the U.S. and China.

“…Moreover, consistent with the valuing of harmonious relations and a sense of collectivism and social harmony, as well as the expectation that Chinese students are to follow social norms and refrain from criticism of persons of authority (Yau et al, 2009), it seems reasonable that Chinese students would view school rules to be fairer. This is supported by a cross-cultural study of classroom discipline in Grades 7 to 12 conducted by Lewis, Romi, Katz, and Qui (2005).…”

Parental Autonomy Support in Two Cultures: The Moderating Effects of Adolescents’ Self‐Construals

“…Similarly, Smetana, Campione‐Barr, and Daddis () found that African American adolescents reporting increased decision‐making autonomy (i.e., input and say) over personal issues (e.g., how to spend free time) from early adolescence to later adolescence showed better self‐worth and less depression in late adolescence. While there is some evidence that children from more collectivist cultures are more likely to believe they should obey their mothers when they prohibit personal decisions (Yau, Smetana, & Metzger, ), Smetana, Wong, Ball, and Yau () showed that both Chinese and American children believed that behaviors judged as within the personal realm should be permitted. How decision making facilitates adjustment and autonomous motivation across cultures requires further exploration.…”

Effect of Type of Maternal Control on American and Chinese Children's Evaluations of Personal Domain Events

“…For instance, Zhang (, published in Chinese) found that most Chinese 5‐, 7‐, and 13‐year‐olds believed that parents legitimately can regulate personal issues and that children should obey, although these beliefs declined with age. Yau, Smetana, and Metzger () found that when hypothetical mothers were described as commanding children to engage in behaviors differing from the actor's choice, Hong Kong Chinese 4‐ to 7‐year‐olds sometimes, but not consistently, endorsed noncompliance, although more so for personal than moral or conventional issues. With age, disobedience was increasingly justified using personal reasons.…”