ORCID
- Patricia Kanngiesser: 0000-0003-1068-3725
Abstract
Western preschool children often assign ownership based on first possession and some theorists have proposed that this judgment might be an early emerging, innate bias. Five- to 9-year-olds (n = 112) from a small-scale group in Kenya (Kikuyu) watched videotaped interactions of two women passing an object. The object’s starting position and the women’s gestures were varied. Use of the first possession heuristic increased with age, and 8- to 9-year-olds performed similarly to German 5-year-olds (n = 24). Starting position and gestures had no effect. A control study confirmed that 5-year-old Kikuyus (n = 20) understood the video material. The findings reveal that the first possession heuristic follows different developmental trajectories cross-culturally and stress the role of children’s sociocultural environment.
Publication Date
2015-01-01
Publication Title
Child Development
Volume
86
Issue
4
ISSN
0009-3920
First Page
1282
Last Page
1289
Recommended Citation
Kanngiesser, P., Rossano, F., & Tomasello, M. (2015) 'Late Emergence of the First Possession Heuristic: Evidence From a Small-Scale Culture', Child Development, 86(4), pp. 1282-1289. Available at: 10.1111/cdev.12365" >https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12365
