Citation

Simons R, Klaassen M. Int. J. Behav. Devel. 1979; 2(3): 253-267.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1979, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/016502547900200304

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Two different approaches to the subject are distinguished: the equity approach and the cognitive developmental approach. In these approaches five kinds of data are used: hypothetical reward-divisions, real-life divisions, arguments used to defend hypothetical reward-divisions, arguments to defend real-life reward-divisions and real-life supervisor-divisions. In the reward-divisions few age trends have appeared in previous studies, while in respect to the arguments six developmental stages have been found. In the theoretical part of this article, it is argued that the lack of age trends in the reward-divisions may be caused by the use of suggestive instructions in many of the studies. Furthermore it is argued that when studies with suggestive instructions are excluded, the remaining studies agree in the following way: 4 and 5 year-old children argued and divided in a self-serving way, while many 6 and 7 year-old children argued and divided according to an equality rule. Most of the older children divided rewards according to equality, while their arguments were more differentiated. In the empirical part of the article a study is described about relations between hypothetical arguments, real-life arguments and real-life division behavior. High relations between the age trends in the three measures were found. The relation between reward-division trends and argument trends in 7 to 11 year-old children has not been found before. In the discussion this result is attributed to a difference in the ease with which equal solutions were obtainable in this study and previous ones.

Language: en