The Communication of Naïve Theories of the Social World in Parent–Child Conversation

Abstract

Three studies examined the communication of naïve theories of social groups in conversations between parents and their 4-year-old children (N = 48). Parent–child dyads read and discussed a storybook in which they either explained why past social interactions had occurred (Study 1) or evaluated whether future social interactions should occur (Studies 2 and 3). In all 3 studies, the content of parents’ and children's explanations reflected an intuitive theory of social groups as markers of intrinsic obligations, whereby individuals are obligated to avoid harm to and direct positive actions toward their in-group members. Furthermore, Studies 2 and 3 suggested that when discussing the normative obligations that guide behavior, parents covertly reinforce their children's developing beliefs about social categories. Implications for the development of social cognition are discussed.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We are very grateful to the parents and children who participated in this research, as well as to the staff at the Children's Museum of Manhattan. We are also grateful to Danielle Sacks, Lily Randall, Lydia Bianchi, Max Stivers, David Berman, and Noemi Ventilla for their assistance with data collection and coding; to Karl Edwards for the study illustrations; and to Athena Vouloumanos and Gregory Murphy for helpful comments on an earlier draft of this article.