Social Development and Learning Laboratory

Our research focuses on how children understand the social world. We conduct cognitive and behavioral experiments with children ages 2 to 12. Our studies focus on children’s beliefs and behaviors related to fairness, altruism, cooperation, competition, ownership, private property, and learning. In most studies, children interact in fun, game-like scenarios with peers or parents. Here at the Social Development and Learning Lab, we are interested in how children become cooperative members of their societies. Our research focuses on the cognitive and social processes that underlie children’s interactions, particularly when material resources are involved. We use experiments and draw on game theory to answer questions such as: -When do children view earning material resources as competitive versus cooperative? -What kinds of situations do children consider fair at different ages? -How does culture influence the concept of fairness? -How do children come to understand ownership and private property? -How do children explain, and sometimes forgive, others’ unfair behaviors? -How do children think about their own, and others’, socioeconomic status?