Holistic or Specific? Children's Inferences About Fairness and Competence Within and Across Domains

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dc.abstract.enHow do children represent an individual's traits when choosing partners for a collaborative task? We examined whether 5- to 9-year-olds (N = 89) generalize fairness and competence within and across the domains of problem-solving ability and fairness, and how these inferences shape collaborative decisions. In a pre-registered study, children observed two characters differing in fairness or competence and evaluated them in new situations. Children of all ages generalized traits within domains, but younger children also made cross-domain generalizations (e.g., assuming a fair character was also competent). This suggests a developmental shift from broad to domain-specific reasoning. Trait inferences and partner preferences showed parallel developmental patterns, indicating that evaluations of fairness and competence are both inferred and meaningfully applied. The study highlights how children's social cognition becomes more refined with age. Future research should examine how this developmental shift toward domain-specific reasoning shapes children's real-world collaborative choices and peer relationships.
dc.affiliationWydział w Sopocie
dc.affiliationWydział Psychologii w Sopocie
dc.contributor.authorMyślińska-Szarek, Katarzyna
dc.contributor.authorWarneken, Felix
dc.date.access2026-08-17
dc.date.accessioned2026-08-19T08:56:40Z
dc.date.available2026-08-19T08:56:40Z
dc.date.created2026-07-27
dc.date.issued2026-08-17
dc.description.abstract<jats:title>ABSTRACT</jats:title> <jats:p> How do children represent an individual's traits when choosing partners for a collaborative task? We examined whether 5‐ to 9‐year‐olds ( <jats:italic>N</jats:italic>  = 89) generalize fairness and competence within and across the domains of problem‐solving ability and fairness, and how these inferences shape collaborative decisions. In a pre‐registered study, children observed two characters differing in fairness or competence and evaluated them in new situations. Children of all ages generalized traits within domains, but younger children also made cross‐domain generalizations (e.g., assuming a fair character was also competent). This suggests a developmental shift from broad to domain‐specific reasoning. Trait inferences and partner preferences showed parallel developmental patterns, indicating that evaluations of fairness and competence are both inferred and meaningfully applied. The study highlights how children's social cognition becomes more refined with age. Future research should examine how this developmental shift toward domain‐specific reasoning shapes children's real‐world collaborative choices and peer relationships. </jats:p>
dc.description.accesstimeat_publication
dc.description.issue4
dc.description.physical1-11
dc.description.sdgReducedInequalities
dc.description.sdgQualityEducation
dc.description.versionfinal_published
dc.description.volume35
dc.identifier.doi10.1111/sode.70088
dc.identifier.eissn1467-9507
dc.identifier.issn0961-205X
dc.identifier.urihttps://share.swps.edu.pl/handle/swps/2494
dc.identifier.weblinkhttps://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/sode.70088
dc.languageen
dc.pbn.affiliationpsychologia
dc.rightsCC-BY
dc.rights.questionYes_rights
dc.share.articleOTHER
dc.subject.encompetence
dc.subject.enfairness
dc.subject.ensocial cognition
dc.subject.entraits generalization
dc.swps.sciencecloudsend
dc.titleHolistic or Specific? Children's Inferences About Fairness and Competence Within and Across Domains
dc.title.journalSocial Development
dc.typeJournalArticle
dspace.entity.typeArticle