Children's representations of economic inequality: A replication

Abstract

In a study of children's estimates of occupational incomes Emler & Dickinson (1985) found substantial social class but no age differences in a Scottish sample, a result they interpreted as supporting Moscovici's theory of social representation. The main part of that study was replicated with West German children of the age range 8–12, whose parents were also interviewed. In addition to income children were also asked to make price estimates of common consumer goods. Significant age but no social class differences were found, estimates of both types progressively converging upon true values. There were no significant relationships between the estimates of children and their parents. These contrasting findings are discussed with reference to the theory of social representation.

Young People's Ignorance about the Topic of Taxation

“…• possessions/ownership (Berti et al, 1982;Cram & Ng, 1989;Bonn et al, 1999); • poverty/wealth (Burgard et al, 1989;Furnham, 1982;Leahy, 1981;Stacey & Singer, 1985); • prices/profits (Berti et al, 1986;Furnham & Cleare, 1988;Jahoda, 1979); • nation states (Berti, 1988;Berti & Andrioto, 2001);…”

Teaching the Federal Budget, National Debt, and Budget Deficit: Findings from High School Teachers

“…However, research has shown that children possess the ability to understand specific economics topics such as banking (Berti and Monaci 1998), money (Berti and Bombi 1981), possessions and ownership (Berti, Bombi, and Lis 1982), poverty and wealth (Burgard, Cheyne, and Jahoda 1989), prices and profits (Berti, Bombi, and Beni 1986), and savings (Sonuga-Barke and Webley 1993) by the time they reach the age of eight years (Furnham 2005). In light of this research, we now know that children are capable of understanding essential concepts about the federal budget, national debt, and budget deficit at a relatively young age and can master more complex understandings by early adolescence.…”

A representação da desigualdade econômica em crianças e adolescentes de nível socioeconômico diferentes

“…Isto é, existem evidências que a estrutura do sistema de atividades sobre-individuais, na qual a criança está inserida, desempenha um papel crucial no desenvolvimento de formas específicas de representação da estratificação social e da desigualdade social. Entretanto, existem também na literatura evidências apresentando resultados contrastantes (Burgard, Cheyne & Jahoda, 1989).…”

“…Este estudo foi replicado por Burgard et al (1989) com uma amostra de crianças alemãs entre 8 e 12 anos. Foram encontradas, ao contrário do estudo de Emler e Dickinson (1985), diferenças significativas com a idade, mas não com a classe social.…”

“…As diferenças dos níveis de remuneração, entre as diferentes profissões, foram muito mais marcadas nas crianças de NSE médio do que nas crianças de NSE baixo. Nenhuma interação idade versus ocupação foi encontrada como no estudo de Burgard et al (1989).…”