‘I see you sharing, thus I share with you’: indirect reciprocity in toddlers but not infants

Abstract

Human societies are organised around cooperative interactions, the origins and development of which have become a timely topic. In this study, we investigated the development of indirect reciprocity in 18-24-month-old toddlers, and infants aged 6 months, on a two-phase sharing task with non-familiar individuals. In the first phase, we observed whether infants and toddlers differentiated and manifested a preference toward an individual altruistically sharing or acting selfishly. In the second phase, infants and toddlers interacted with the same prosocial and antisocial individuals seen in the first phase, and we observed whether they were willing to share with one of the two. Indirect reciprocity was assessed as the match between the preferences for the prosocial individual in phase one, and the firstperson sharing in the second phase. Evidence showed that toddlers, but not infants, indirectly reciprocated the prosocial individual, suggesting that understanding of such a complex behaviour as indirect reciprocity may require prolonged experience in order to emerge.

Do children selectively trust leaders and prosocial agents in an economic exchange?

“…In the absence of converging and independent evidence that this version of the game truly measures trust, a major concern is whether children's decisions were guided by generosity or altruistic motives rather than or in addition to a calculation of the risks associated with the investment. Indeed, prior work has shown that already during the preschool years, children tend to preferentially share resources with prosocial agents, engaging in acts of indirect reciprocity (e.g., Olson & Spelke, 2008; see also Nava et al, 2019).…”

The sharing economy in the hospitality sector: The role of social interaction, social presence, and reciprocity in eliciting satisfaction and continuance behavior

“…Reciprocity in the business is defined as a reward from customers in return for sellers' or service providers’ exceptional services (Zulkifili and Yazid, 2020 ). According to Nava et al ( 2019 ), cooperative interaction such as reciprocity naturally develops at a very early age and our society is organized around this interaction. Thus, in the business world, positive reciprocity usually brings a positive influence on businesses’ growth.…”

A Review of Theoretical Studies on Indirect Reciprocity

“…The origin of indirect reciprocity has also been studied in social psychology. A field study investigated the development of indirect reciprocity in 18-24-month-old toddlers and in infants aged around six months [145]. The results showed that toddlers reciprocated prosocial behavior indirectly.…”