When Helping Hurts: Children Think Groups That Receive Help Are Less Smart. Issue 3 (3rd January 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Sierksma, Jellie; Shutts, Kristin
• Is Part Of: Child development. Volume 91:Issue 3(2020)
• Page Start: 715
• Page End: 723
• Publication Date: 2020-01-03
• Subjects: Child development -- Periodicals; Child psychology -- Periodicals; Child Development -- Periodicals; Child Development; Pediatrics -- Periodicals; Pedicatrics; 305.231
• DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13351
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0009-3920

Abstract

Abstract : Helping has many positive consequences for both helpers and recipients. However, in the present research, we considered a possible downside to receiving help: that it signals a deficiency. We investigated whether young children make inferences about intelligence from observing some groups of people receive help and other groups not. In a novel group paradigm, we show that children (4–6 years) think groups that receive help are less smart ( n = 44) but not less nice ( n = 45). Children also generalized their inferences about relative intelligence to new group members ( n = 55; forced‐choice‐method). These results have implications for understanding how children develop stereotypes about intelligence as well as for educational practices that group children according to their ability.