Children's consideration of effort and outcome in reward distribution tasks

Abstract In the current study, we asked whether children recognize initial inequalities in resources and the effect of these inequalities on subsequent outcomes. We presented 6‐ to 8‐year‐old children with a series of vignettes in which characters’ contribution and effort to a joint task were manipulated, along with the tool they had to complete the task, which affected their relative advantage. Each vignette contained a situation where two children had to help a third person dig pails of sand. In each scenario, the number of pails each child dug, as well as the type of shovel (making it easier or harder for them to dig), was manipulated. Children were asked how rewards should be distributed and who they believed worked harder. We found that children weighed outcome, or the number of pails of sand produced, more heavily than other factors, and only the oldest children showed evidence of considering initial inequalities and effort when making decisions about resource allocation.