Children's imitation of costly rituals: Insights into early cultural learning

Abstract

Rituals are deeply ingrained in human lives and play significant roles from a young age. Children demonstrate a remarkable willingness to faithfully copy rituals, however, limited studies have examined whether this extends to situations involving material costs. This study builds on this literature by examining how children respond to matching ritual versus ordinary actions when imitation involves varying material costs. A total of 130 children aged 4 to 7 were shown two distinct methods to acquire stickers at a local science museum: one involving causally irrelevant ritualistic actions and the other, instrumentally functional actions. Both methods resulted in giving up the opportunity to win more stickers. Results showed that children prioritised copying rituals over functional actions, even at a material cost. However, while children faithfully replicated relevant action components, they reproduced both irrelevant ritual and functional actions at lower rates. We conclude that while children are strongly inclined to learn culturally important rituals, they are ultimately strategic imitators.