Developmental trajectories of inequity aversion across childhood to young adulthood in China: Insights from a digitally simulated anonymous context

This study investigates the developmental trajectories of aversion to both disadvantageous and advantageous inequity in a large sample of Chinese students (N = 3190) across four educational stages: primary school, junior high school, senior high school and college. Results revealed that participants' disadvantageous inequity aversion showed a continuously decreasing linear trend with grade. In contrast, aversion to advantageous inequity followed a complex, overall inverted U-shaped, stage-dependent pattern. Findings suggest that the development of inequity aversion is not a single, continuous process, but rather a dynamic pattern shaped by the type of inequity, cultural background, and specific educational stage. This study offers a new perspective on understanding of fairness, highlighting their relevance in students' moral decision-making whthin increasingly digitalized social environments.