FSD3852 Children's views on prestige and dominance in Colombia, Finland and the United States 2021-2022
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Study title
Children's views on prestige and dominance in Colombia, Finland and the United States 2021-2022
Dataset ID Number
FSD3852
Persistent identifiers
https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3852https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3852
Data Type
Quantitative
Authors
- Sequeira, Maija-Eliina (University of Helsinki)
- Afshordi, Narges (Harvard University)
- Kajanus, Anni (University of Helsinki)
Abstract
The study examines children's attitudes towards dominance and prestige in Colombia, Finland and the United States. The study sought to determine 1) whether children recognize and distinguish between dominance and prestige, 2) whether children prefer to learn from a dominant or prestigious character, 3) whether children assign leadership to a dominant or prestigious character, and 4) whether children self-identify more with a dominant or subordinate character. The study also examined differences in perceptions between countries. The study was conducted in an experimental setting, where children were shown videos and pictures and asked a question related to each video and picture.
Initially, the child was shown two videos, both of which were played twice. The first video showed the interaction between the dominant character and the subordinate main character, Dimo. The second video showed the interaction between the prestigious character and Tima. In both scenes, Dimo adapts to the character in question by drawing in the same colour as him or by using the same animal in the picture. The difference between the scenes is that in the case of the dominant character, Dimo was forced to do so, but in the case of the prestigious character, Dimo copied the character voluntarily. After each video, the child was asked which character they thought was older. Children answered the questions by pointing to one of the characters on the screen. The child was also asked which one Dimo likes to sit next to, which one he/she likes more and which one he/she is more afraid of. In the next section, the child was shown a picture with an prestigious character, a dominant character and a new type of object. The child was told how each character calls the object, and then the child had to name the object himself. This task was repeated three times with three different sets of new objects and names.
In the next section, the child was shown a picture of these characters with different hats on their heads. The child then had to point out which hat Dimo would wear. Next, a situation was described where there is only one candy left between the characters and Dimo cannot decide who should get it. The child was asked which of the characters should decide. The child was also asked which of the characters would be better at solving the conflict of watching the video. The child was also asked which character he or she liked better. The child was then asked which of the characters likes bears and oranges and which one lives in a house with a grey door. Finally, the child was shown a picture of two new characters, one dominant and one subordinate. The child had to point out which one of the characters he or she would be.
In dominant scenes, for example, an aggressive tone of voice and forcing an opinion were used, while in authoritative scenes, a friendly tone of voice and sharing an opinion only when asked were used. The first set of questions (identification and discrimination) and the last set of questions (self-recognition) are drawn from previous studies. The second set of questions (learning and leadership) was developed for this study.
Background variables included the respondent's gender and age and the country in which the experiment was taken.
Keywords
authority; children; cognitive processes; prestige; reasoning; social behaviour; social influence; social interaction; tests
Topic Classification
- Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
- Children (CESSDA Topic Classification)
- Social behaviour and attitudes (CESSDA Topic Classification)
Series
Individual datasetsDistributor
Finnish Social Science Data Archive
Access
The dataset is (B) available for research, teaching and study.
Data Collector
- Sequeira, Maija-Eliina (University of Helsinki)
Funders
- University of Helsinki
- Harvard University
- Sylff Association
Time Period Covered
2021 – 2022
Collection Dates
- 2022-03 – 2022-04
- 2021-12 – 2022-03
- 2021-10 – 2022-10
Nation
Finland, Colombia, United States of America
Geographical Coverage
Finland, Colombia, Santa Marta, United States of America
Analysis/Observation Unit Type
Individual
Universe
Children aged 4-11 in Finland, Colombia and the USA
Time Method
Cross-section
Sampling Procedure
Non-probability: Purposive
Non-probability: Availability
In Colombia, children were recruited at a public school in the city of Santa Marta in March-April 2022. The experiment took place at the school and in total 160 children participated. In Finland, children were recruited at the Heureka the Finnish Science Centre and the Luomus Natural History Museum from December 2021 to March 2022, with a total of 172 children taking part in the experiments at the museums. In the US, children were recruited from the Harvard Laboratory for Developmental Studies database. The database contained families interested in participating in child development research. A total of 164 children participated in the study and were tested online via the Zoom video meeting platform from October 2021 to October 2022. The English-language video scripts and test questions were translated into Finnish and Spanish.
The aim was to have 20 participants of all ages between 4 and 11 years. The researcher also aimed for a balanced gender distribution at each age.
Collection Mode
Web-based experiment
Research Instrument
Technical instrument(s)
Participant tasks
Structured questionnaire
Data File Language
Downloaded data package may contain different language versions of the same files.
The data files of this dataset are available in the following languages: English.
FSD translates quantitative data into English on request, free of charge. More information on ordering data translation.
Number of Cases and Variables
23 variables and 496 cases.
Data Version
1.0
Completeness of Data and Restrictions
The Order variable has been deleted in the archiving process due to incomplete documentation. The variable also had no effect on the data. The archived material does not include the videos used in the experiment.
Weighting
There are no weight variables in the data.
Citation Requirement
The data and its creators shall be cited in all publications and presentations for which the data have been used. The bibliographic citation may be in the form suggested by the archive or in the form required by the publication.
Bibliographical Citation
Sequeira, Maija-Eliina (University of Helsinki) & Afshordi, Narges (Harvard University) & Kajanus, Anni (University of Helsinki): Children's views on prestige and dominance in Colombia, Finland and the United States 2021-2022 [dataset]. Data version 1.0 (2024-10-24). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. DOI: https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3852; URN: https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3852
Deposit Requirement
Notify FSD of all publications where you have used the data by sending the citation information to user-services.fsd@tuni.fi.
Disclaimer
The original data creators and the archive bear no responsibility for any results or interpretations arising from the reuse of the data.
Other Material
See downloadable files at the top of the page.
More information on the experimental setup
Video transcripts and a detailed description of the cues of dominance and prestige for the first set of questions (recognizing and distinguishing)
More information on the experimental setup
The test behind the last question
Related Materials
Related Publications
Study description in machine readable DDI-C 2.5 format
Metadata record is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.