The study, by the University of Zurich, also found that children witholder siblings were the most selfish, and those with no brothers orsisters are the least selfish.
Scientists asked 229 children between the ages of three and eight tochoose one of two ways of sharing sweets between themselves and ananonymous partner. They could choose to share sweets or just have onefor themselves. The games tested a variety of attitudes, including achild's preference for giving away sweets at no cost to themselves, andfor sharing two sweets rather than keeping both for themselves.
The research, published in Nature, found that three-year-olds would notgive away sweets, even if it made no difference to how many they keptthemselves. But by the age of eight, they were more egalitarian,preferring to split a prize equally rather than keep it all.
Register now to continue reading
Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Unlimited access to news and opinion
-
Email newsletter providing activity ideas, best practice and breaking news
Already have an account? Sign in here
