title: How Universal Are Free Will Beliefs? Cultural Differences in Chinese and U.S. 4- and 6-Year-Olds.
abstract: This study explores the development of free will beliefs across cultures. Sixty-seven Chinese 4- and 6-year-olds were asked questions to gauge whether they believed that people could freely choose to inhibit or act against their desires. Responses were compared to those given by the U.S. children in Kushnir, Gopnik, Chernyak, Seiver, and Wellman (). Results indicate that children from both cultures increased the amount of choice they ascribed with age. For inhibition questions, Chinese children ascribed less choice than the U.S. children. Qualitative explanations revealed that the U.S. children were also more likely to endorse notions of autonomous choice. These findings suggest both cultural differences and similarities in free will beliefs.
authors.affiliation: University of California, Berkeley.
authors.forename: Adrienne O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Wente
authors.affiliation: Stanford University.
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bridgers
authors.affiliation: Cornell University.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: University of California, Berkeley.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Seiver
authors.affiliation: Chinese Academy of Sciences.
authors.forename: Liqi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: University of California, Berkeley.
authors.forename: Alison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gopnik
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003469:Culture; D006801:Humans; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D014481:United States / Q000208:ethnology