Minimal groups increase young children's motivation and learning on group-relevant tasks.
Three experiments (N = 130) used a minimal group manipulation to show that just perceived membership in a social group boosts young children's motivation for and learning from group-relevant tasks. In Experiment 1, 4-year-old children assigned to a minimal "puzzles group" persisted longer on a challenging puzzle than children identified as the "puzzles child" or children in a control condition. Experiment 2 showed that this boost in motivation occurred only when the group was associated with the task. In Experiment 3, children assigned to a minimal group associated with word learning learned more words than children assigned an analogous individual identity. The studies demonstrate that fostering shared motivations may be a powerful means by which to shape young children's academic outcomes.
Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA. almaster@uw.edu
Allison
A
Master
Gregory M
GM
Walton
D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006126:Group Processes; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation / Q000502:physiology*; D011340:Problem Solving / Q000502:physiology; D012929:Psychological Distance; D012933:Social Identification; D014706:Verbal Learning / Q000502:physiology*