The ontogeny of the motivation that underlies in-group bias
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Humans demonstrate a clear bias toward members of their own group over members of other groups in a variety of ways. It has been argued that the motivation underlying this in-group bias in adults may be favoritism toward one’s own group (in-group love), derogation of the out-group (out-group hate), or both. Although some studies have demonstrated in-group bias among children and infants, nothing is known about the underlying motivations of this bias. Using a novel game, we found that in-group love is already present in children of preschool age and can motivate in-group-biased behavior across childhood. In contrast, out-group hate develops only after a child’s sixth birthday and is a sufficient motivation for in-group-biased behavior from school age onward. These results help to better identify the motivation that underlies in-group-biased behavior in children.
Originalsprog | Engelsk |
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Tidsskrift | Psychological Science |
Vol/bind | 25 |
Udgave nummer | 4 |
Sider (fra-til) | 921-927 |
ISSN | 0956-7976 |
DOI | |
Status | Udgivet - 2014 |
ID: 241310922