The Role of Recipients’ Inter-Group Relations and Routine Behaviors in the Development of Children’s Sharing Behavior

Sharing with others is an important prosocial behavior, which is widely developed in early childhood. Numerous studies have demonstrated that single characteristics (routine behaviors or inter-group relations) of the recipient impact children's sharing behavior. However, there is still a lack of understanding of the factors that influence sharing decisions in children with dual characteristics. In Experiment 1, 112 children aged 4-6 years (<i>M_age</i> = 5.55, girls account for 50%) participated in a sticker-sharing task, and the results indicated that older children (aged 5 and 6 years) were more willing to share and shared more stickers. Additionally, children shared more stickers with recipients who exhibited good routine behaviors compared to those who had poor behaviors. In total, 134 children aged 4-6 years (<i>M_age</i> = 5.47, girls account for 50.1%) participated in Experiment 2. The results indicated that children share more stickers with a friend than with a stranger. When recipients possessed dual characteristics, they shared more stickers with a stranger who had good routine behaviors than with a friend who had poor ones. Therefore, children are selective in their sharing, and when confronted with a recipient with dual characteristics, children prioritize the recipient's prior performance of moral norms over interpersonal distance.