The spontaneous use of thank you by preschoolers as a function of sex, socioeconomic status, and listener status

Abstract

This study investigated whether preschoolers would spontaneously say thank you in a familiar context without their parents' presence. Two hundred and fifty 3 1/2-to 4 1/2-year-olds played a game with their teachers and received a reward from either an unfamiliar peer or adult. Across conditions, 37 percent of the children said thank you spontaneously, more than in previous studies. The frequency of the spontaneous use of thank you was assessed as a function of sex, socioeconomic status, and listener status. Preschool-aged girls said thank you spontaneously more than boys, x 2 ( 0 = 7-95. p < -Oi. Also, children from families of low economic status said thank you spontaneously more than children from middle income families, X 2 ( 0 = 7-!7> P < 0 I -This finding does not appear to be due to racial differences. Finally, the preschoolers said thank you spontaneously more to the adult than to the peer, x 2 ( 0 = 4-2 7> P < -°5-These results are discussed in terms of their implications for pragmatic socialization and the acquisition of politeness formulas such as thank you. (Routines, politeness formulas, pragmatic socialization, sex differences, socioeconomic differences, language and status)

Wishes and Gratitude of Students from Private and Public Schools

“…When examining the sub-categories of hedonistic wishes we found that, in public schools at least, boys were more likely to wish for money and material things than were girls; this is in accord with previous research in the United States that suggested that boys are more materialistic than are girls (Goldberg et al, 2003;Kasser, 2005). Finally, regarding gender differences in the expression of gratitude, the findings of this study suggest that public school girls expressed somewhat more verbal gratitude than did their male counterparts, a finding in keeping with those who suggest that females may be more likely to say "thank you" than are males (Becker & Smenner, 1986;Gordon et al, 2004;Kashdan et al, 2009). It is interesting that some gender differences were more prominent among students from public schools in comparison to students from private schools.…”

The Wishes and Expression of Gratitude of Youth

“…Verbal gratitude is the simplest form, and is found in children as young as 3 (Becker & Smenner, 1986). It is difficult, however, to distinguish verbal gratitude from politeness.…”

Being Thankful: Examining the Relationship Between Young Adult Religiosity and Gratitude

“…In general, women are slightly more likely than men to experience and express gratitude (Becker and Smenner 1986;Emmons 2004;Froh et al 2009;Gordon et al 2004;Ventimiglia 1982). However, most of the existing scholarship does not focus on factors that predict gratitude.…”