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Young children understand complex concepts like justice or religion, even if they are not always able to express them. It seems that they also have a good understanding of what money is. An American study, published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, claims that toddlers would show a preference for wealthier people from the age of 14 months.
A research team from the University of Berkeley, led by Arianne Eason, conducted seven experiments with children aged 11 to 18 months. The goal: to see whether or not the toddlers showed a preference for the “richest” individuals, that is, those who have the most material resources.
To do this, the researchers first placed 35 young children and two adults in the same room. The adults each held a transparent bowl in their hands, one filled with toys or treats, and the other completely empty. After spending some time with the children, the two volunteers left the room for a moment. They returned a few minutes later with two opaque bowls.
Although the children could not see the contents of each container, they tended to show a preference for the adult who had previously had the bowl filled with toys/treats. The academics saw this as a sign that children are quite capable of forming an idea of the material situation of two individuals. But the question remains whether they attach importance to this, and especially whether they adapt their behavior according to the level of wealth of each.
It seems so. The researchers found that toddlers were more cooperative with wealthy people than others. They were more likely to help adults they had identified as having lots of toys or treats than those they remembered as having none. They also played with them more.It is clear that toddlers are good at identifying wealthier people and behaviorally favoring them.” says Arianne Eason, lead author of the studyIn a press release.
Arianne Eason and her colleagues have noticed that children begin to make value judgments about the people they encounter, based on their level of resources, as early as 14 months of age.These behaviors are established from a very young age.“But it’s possible to deconstruct them through educational efforts with young children. That may be the key to a more equitable world, where wealth gaps are narrower.