The effect of group membership on social behavior in young children

Simple item page
dc.contributor.advisorWarnell, Katherine
dc.contributor.authorDe La Cerda, Callie B.
dc.contributor.committeeMemberClegg, Jennifer
dc.contributor.committeeMemberHaskard-Zolnierek, Kelly
dc.date.accessioned2021-01-13T14:08:42Z
dc.date.available2021-01-13T14:08:42Z
dc.date.issued2018-12
dc.description.abstractThe ability to deceive others is an early-emerging and socially-complex skill which has been consistently linked to other social outcomes, including theory of mind (i.e., understanding thoughts and emotions of others). This study used a minimal group paradigm to examine children’s willingness to deceive in-group versus out-group members across varied contexts (e.g., lying for personal gain; lying to spite). Forty-one children (24 males) aged 4-7 (M=6.1y, SD=1.2y) played a puppet in three versions of a sticker-hiding game: Self-Benefit condition (child could lie for personal gain), Other-Benefit condition (child could lie to give another puppet a sticker), and No-Benefit condition (child could lie to spite in-group or out-group members). Children additionally completed a battery of theory of mind tasks and a measure of verbal and non-verbal IQ. Our results indicated that children lied the most in the Self-Benefit condition and lied equally to in-group and out-group members in this condition. However, when the potential for self-gain disappeared, in-group bias emerged. In the Other-Benefit condition and in the No-Benefit condition, children engaged in more lie-telling to out-group members. Results suggest that lying behavior is sensitive to group membership only in certain social situations. Specifically, young children are able to flexibly apply a complex social skill (i.e., deception) based on group membership and task demands. Further, children’s desire to benefit themselves appears to trump in-group bias. Future research should examine alternate situations, such as lying to avoid punishment, to determine whether the context of the lie has a stronger effect on children, or if group membership overrides the desire to benefit oneself. Children’s understanding of lying and group membership has implications for education and intergroup relations throughout development.
dc.description.departmentPsychology
dc.formatText
dc.format.extent72 pages
dc.format.medium1 file (.pdf)
dc.identifier.citationDe La Cerda, C. (2018). <i>The effect of group membership on social behavior in young children</i> (Unpublished thesis). Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas.
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10877/13103
dc.language.isoen
dc.subjectTheory of mind
dc.subjectExecutive function
dc.subjectIntelligence quotient
dc.subjectVerbal intelligence
dc.subjectNon-verbal intelligence
dc.titleThe effect of group membership on social behavior in young children
dc.typeThesis
thesis.degree.departmentPsychology
thesis.degree.disciplinePsychological Research
thesis.degree.grantorTexas State University
thesis.degree.levelMasters
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Arts

Files

Original bundle

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
DELACERDA-THESIS-2018.pdf
Size:
396.49 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Download

License bundle

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
LICENSE.txt
Size:
2.13 KB
Format:
Plain Text
Description:
Download
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
PROQUEST_LICENSE.txt
Size:
4.53 KB
Format:
Plain Text
Description:
Download

Collections

Graduate Theses and Dissertations