Preference Matters: Knowledge Of Preference Influences Children’s Evaluations Of The Act Of Leaving A Choice For Others

People value socially mindful actions that grant others the opportunity to choose for themselves.However,previous work has only considered cases where preference is unknown.In this paper,we investigate how knowledge of the beneficiary’s or the protagonist’s preference may influence children’s evaluations of such actions.In both study 1 and study 2,children and adults were asked to evaluate characters taking a snack for themselves from a set of three items – two identical items and one unique item – in a way that either leaves a choice(two diverse items)or leaves no choice(two identical items)for the next person(the beneficiary).The beneficiary’s(study1)or the protagonist’s(study2)preference was systematically manipulated as unknown,preferring the unique item,or preferring the identical item.The findings of this study can be summarized as follows.First,when preference is unknown,both studies showed that,with age,children increasingly appreciate the value of leaving a diverse choice.Second,when knowing that the beneficiary prefers the unique item,children as young as4 years old understand that it is nicer not to take away the only thing others prefer.When knowing that the protagonist prefers the unique item,children as young as 4 years old understand that it is nicer to sacrifice one’s own preference in order to leave a choice for others.These effects become more robust with age.Third,when the beneficiary clearly prefers the identical item,with age,children increasingly think it is nicer to leave two identical but preferred items than to leave a diverse choice.Finally,when the protagonist clearly prefers the identical item,with age,children increasingly infer that the act of leaving a choice may not reflect a prosocial intention,thus evaluate the act as less favorably.These findings reveal increasing flexibility and subtlety in children’s social evaluation of the act of leaving a choice for others;children develop from a mere understanding of the value of preference to a flexible appreciation of both preference and choice.This study further demonstrates the flexibility and complexity of children’s social and moral development,enriches the research of children’s social mindfulness development,and has important implications for parents and teachers to cultivate children’s social interaction and cooperation skills.