What the study found
Children’s token taking was shaped by relative status in social settings, and gender differences appeared only when status was equal.
Why the authors say this matters
The findings indicate that children’s taking is calibrated to socially instantiated relative status rather than to performance alone, and the authors conclude that the study reveals early status sensitivity and helps specify when gender differences in taking emerge.
What the researchers tested
In two preregistered studies, children aged 4 to 8 completed a competitive "Where's Waldo?" task and then chose how many tokens to take from a new peer. In Study 1, children competed against a pre-recorded peer and were randomly assigned to win or lose, then chose between an unfamiliar prior winner or loser as the token source. In Study 2, children played against the clock without a peer competitor and were randomly assigned to succeed or fail.
What worked and what didn't
In Study 1, children with low relative status (losers taking from winners) took more than half the tokens, while high-status children (winners taking from losers) did not differ from an equal split. Under equal status, boys took more than half, whereas girls did not differ from an equal split. In Study 2, children took more than half of their peers' tokens in the non-social context.
What to keep in mind
The abstract does not describe limitations beyond the study designs and the fact that the results come from two preregistered studies with children aged 4 to 8. The comparison is based on the situations described in the abstract, so no broader claims beyond those contexts are provided.
Key points
- Children’s token taking varied with socially defined relative status.
- Low-status children took more than half of the tokens from a peer.
- High-status children did not differ from an equal split.
- Under equal status, boys took more than half while girls did not.
- In a non-social success/fail task, children took more than half of peers’ tokens.
Disclosure
- Research title:
- Children’s token taking depends on relative status
- Authors:
- Chana Berelejis, Oded Ritov, Jan Engelmann, Avi Benozio
- Institutions:
- Hebrew University of Jerusalem, University of California, Berkeley
- Publication date:
- 2026-02-27
- OpenAlex record:
- View
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