Equality or generosity: The role of between-group competition in children’s resource allocation with in-group collaborators

This research examined the effect of between-group competitive relationships and group status (win/loss outcomes) on children’s tendency to make generous or equal allocations to in-group collaborators. Children aged 3–8 years ( N = 298 in Study 1; N = 264 in Study 2) were asked to complete between-group competitive games and were further asked to allocate between themselves and their in-group collaborators. The results showed that, with age, children made more equal allocations to in-group collaborators in the win condition, whereas they made more generous allocations to in-group collaborators in the loss condition. The results revealed that, with age, children prioritized fair allocations with collaborators when winning while emphasizing friendly relationships when losing, indicating the complexity of children’s allocations with in-group collaborators following between-group competition.