The Relationship Between Norm Understanding and Altruistic Punishment Among School-Age Children: A Descriptive-to-Injunctive Transition Tendency

doi:10.12139/j.1672-0628.2022.05.007

Abstract

Abstract: Using a Trust Game with a third party, this study examined the relationship between norm understanding and altruistic punishment among 6- to 11-year-old Chinese children. The results showed that: 1) In general, 6- to 11-year-old children were more likely to perform altruistic punishments if they had reached adults’ level of descriptive norm understanding. 2) The relationship between norm understanding and altruistic punishment varied with age. That is, among 6- to 8-year-old children, descriptive norm understanding could predict altruistic punishment, but it turned out that injunctive norm understanding could predict altruistic punishment among children in 9- to 11-year-old. These results suggest that there might be a descriptive-to-injunctive transition tendency in the formation of the relationship between norm understanding and altruistic punishment, which is similar to the acquisition and the formation processes of social norms.

Key words: altruistic punishment, descriptive norm, injunctive norm, norm understanding, school age

摘要： 研究通过有第三方的信任博弈考察6～11岁中国儿童的规范理解与利他惩罚之间的关系。结果发现：（1）6～11岁儿童对描述性规范的理解如果达到成人理解的标准，就更有可能做出利他惩罚；（2）不同规范理解与利他惩罚的关系受到年龄的调节作用，即在6～8岁儿童中，描述性规范理解可预测利他惩罚；而在9～11岁儿童中，指令性规范理解可预测利他惩罚。这提示学龄儿童的规范理解与利他惩罚之间关系的形成过程可能存在从描述性向指令性的转变倾向，与社会规范的习得过程和形成过程或有共通之处。

关键词: 利他惩罚, 描述性规范, 指令性规范, 规范理解, 学龄期

CLC Number:

B844

XIE Dongjie, SU Yanjie. The Relationship Between Norm Understanding and Altruistic Punishment Among School-Age Children: A Descriptive-to-Injunctive Transition Tendency[J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2022, 20(5): 622-628.

谢东杰, 苏彦捷. 学龄儿童的规范理解与利他惩罚的关系：从描述性到指令性倾向[J]. 心理与行为研究, 2022, 20(5): 622-628.

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