权力和社会距离对6~8岁儿童分配行为的影响

The Impact of Power and Social Distance on Allocation Behavior in Children Aged 6~8 Years

摘要: 探讨权力与社会距离对6~8岁儿童分配行为的交互作用，尤其是在第一方与第三方情境下的差异。方法：实验一在第一方情境下采用2 (权力：高、低) × 2 (社会距离：近、远) × 2 (分配提议类型：优势不平等、劣势不平等) × 3 (年龄：6、7、8岁)混合实验设计，共140名儿童参与。实验二在第三方情境下，采用3 (权力：高、中、无) × 2 (分配提议类型) × 3 (年龄)设计，另取140名儿童。结果：儿童在资源获得情境中更倾向于利他分配给亲近者；6岁儿童在劣势不平等提议中接受率更高；7岁儿童开始考虑对方权力，表现出匹配假设；在第三方情境下，6~7岁儿童倾向于补偿假设，8岁儿童转向匹配假设。结论：权力与社会距离共同塑造儿童分配行为，年龄是关键的调节变量，6~8岁儿童的公平认知在利他倾向与策略性匹配上表现出显著的年龄组差异。

Abstract: This study examines the interaction between power and social distance on allocation behavior in children aged 6~8 years, with particular focus on differences between first-party and third-party contexts. Methods: Experiment 1 employed a mixed design with 2 (power: high, low) × 2 (social distance: close, distant) × 2 (allocation proposal type: advantage inequality, disadvantage inequality) × 3 (age: 6, 7, 8 years), involving 140 children. Experiment 2, conducted in a third-party context, used a 3 (power: high, moderate, none) × 2 (allocation proposal type) × 3 (age) design, involving an additional 140 children. Results: Children exhibited a stronger tendency toward altruistic allocation to close contacts in resource-acquisition scenarios; 6-year-old showed higher acceptance rates for disadvantage-inequality proposals; 7-year-old began considering the recipient’s power, demonstrating alignment with the matching hypothesis; in third-party contexts, children aged 6~7 favored the compensation hypothesis, while those aged 8 shifted toward the matching hypothesis. Conclusion: Power and social distance jointly shape children’s allocation behavior, with age serving as a critical moderating variable. Fairness cognition among children aged 6~8 shows significant age-group differences in both altruistic tendencies and strategic matching behaviors.