Executive function and the economics of norm compliance in preschoolers

Abstract

Research indicates that norm understanding, as indicated by complying to and enforcing social norms, develops during the preschool years. In addition, children refine prosocial behaviors during this time. These emerging skills engage both affective and cognitive control processes, commonly conceptualized as hot and cool executive function (EF) abilities. While these EF domains have been studied separately, few studies have examined the impact of their interaction on more complex cognitive abilities. Therefore, the current study examined the effects of both hot and cool EF on preschool children’s sharing behaviors after participating in an economic game designed to model novel fairness norms. We tested 101 three- and four-year-old children (M = 4;1 years, SD = 0;8) including 55 girls and 46 boys. Participants completed a task to assess social norm learning which included three phases: baseline sharing, norm learning, and post-manipulation sharing. Participants also completed several EF tasks including working memory, response inhibition, as well as the Preschool Gambling task. We found that exposure to a generous or stingy model of sharing did not significantly influence children’s subsequent sharing behavior. However, children in the generous condition were more likely to reject unfair offers. This was especially true for older preschoolers, suggesting they were more flexible in applying the new norm. Moreover, a cluster analysis resulting in three distinct groups differing on baseline sharing and rejection rates suggested that individual differences may be a stronger factor in determining sharing behaviors. These groups demonstrated unique profiles of hot and cool EF abilities, indicating that a balanced combination of both types of EF may support adaptive social decision-making. These results provide new insight into the early processes underlying social norm learning, and more broadly, prosocial development.