Children’s apparent selfishness in games reflects game comprehension, not moral immaturity

Evidence

One way to reconcile these apparently contradictory findings starts from the observation that young children do not have the same experience or perspective as adults. Whereas adults rarely, if ever, get money for free, receiving resources from others is actually the norm rather than the exception for children. Proposers might thus see themselves as fully entitled to the resource they get in the game, exactly as they are fully entitled to the candies or the toys given by their aunt or their older sibling. The apparent lack of generosity among children may have more to do with their understanding of the game than with a late development of their moral sense. — Nicolas Baumard, A mutualistic approach to morality, 142

Categorization

• XREF: Resonates with the reading purpose: what participants believe they are entitled to depends on how they frame the exchange — parallel to how Father Rodrigues perceives his own moral entitlements. — connects to: Sharing emerges later than possessive ownership behavior in children. — Nicolas Baumard, A mutualistic approach to morality: The…, 588

Related

• Sharing emerges later than possessive ownership behavior in children. (similarity 0.84)
• Fairness in economic games tracks perceived entitlement rather than raw contribution. (similarity 0.79)