The development of inequity aversion in Chinese children

Research has shown that children’s inequity aversion to disadvantage (DI) emerges in preschool years, whereas their inequity aversion to advantage (AI) does not always emerge during childhood across societies. Here we tested children in China, where children are exposed to Confucian values such as “suffering a disadvantage is a blessing”, suggesting that Chinese children might show a different developmental pattern of stronger emphasis of AI as compared to DI. Four- to twelve-year-old Chinese children (N = 178 pairs, 90 girls) participated in the Inequity Game to explore when DI and AI emerges. Two experiments demonstrated that DI emerged around the age of five and AI emerged around the age of seven, a pattern similar to findings from studies with Western children. By including Chinese sample, the present work extends previous insight that DI emerges earlier than AI. Chinese unique cultural background emphasizing self-discipline and reputation are discussed to interpret the early and pronounced aversion to advantageous inequity in a non-WEIRD society. •Four- to 12-year-old Chinese children participated in the Inequity Game to explore when inequity aversion emerges.•Disadvantageous inequity aversion (DI) emerged around five and advantageous inequity aversion (AI) emerged around seven.•Chinese unique cultural background was discussed to interpret the early and pronounced AI in a non-WEIRD society.