Authors

• Sequeira, Maija-Eliina (University of Helsinki)
• Afshordi, Narges (Harvard University)
• Kajanus, Anni (University of Helsinki)

Keywords

authority, children, cognitive processes, prestige, reasoning, social behaviour, social influence, social interaction, tests

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.