title: Do-gooder derogation in children: the social costs of generosity.
abstract: Generosity is greatly valued and admired, but can it sometimes be unappealing? The current study investigated 8- to 10-year-old children's (N = 128) preference for generous individuals, and the effects of social comparison on their preferences. In Experiment 1, children showed a strong preference for a generous to a stingy child; however, this preference was significantly reduced in a situation that afforded children a comparison of their own (lesser) generosity to that of another child. In Experiment 2, children's liking for a generous individual was not reduced when that individual was an adult, suggesting that similarity in age influences whether a child engages in social comparison. These findings indicate that, by middle childhood, coming up short in comparison with a peer can decrease one's liking for a generous individual.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Yale University , New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Arber
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tasimi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Yale University , New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dominguez
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Yale University , New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wynn
keywords: cognitive development; morality; prosocial behavior; social cognition; social comparison