Sharing in Private and Public Situations: does this really Matter for Children?

The goal of the present study was to examine the influence of social context in young children's sharing behavior. Sixty-three children, aged between 3 and 8 years, participated in a dictator game in which they were requested to distribute stickers between themselves and an anonymous child. Results showed that the quantities the participants expected to receive were greater than those which were distributed to the others, t(63) = -6, 28, p < .01. Moreover, older participants shared more stickers when they were being observed than when they allocated stickers alone (p = .001, ηp 2 = .30). It is believed that increasing age leads to a greater respect for the societal rule of equity. These results are discussed in light of previous studies on sharing behavior during childhood.