About this srcd poster session

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Panel information
Panel 20. Social Cognition

Abstract

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Understanding social dominance and status is essential for navigating social environments. Social dominance is defined as an individual’s ability to exert control in conflict situations (Halevy et al., 2011; Koski et al., 2015). Those who succeed in asserting control are often perceived as dominant or higher in rank. Young infants are able to recognize hierarchical structures through cues such as physical size and acquisition over limited resources (e.g., Bas & Sebastian-Galles, 2021; Mascaro & Csibra, 2012; Thomsen et al., 2011). As children mature, the range of cues they can identify regarding social hierarchies expands and becomes more refined, including body posture, facial features, decision-making, and control (e.g., Brey & Shutts, 2015; Gülgöz & Gelman, 2017). Previous research has primarily focused on identifying these cues, with limited exploration into whether children can use their understanding of social hierarchy to interpret the mental states underlying others’ behaviors. The behaviors of dominant and subordinate individuals are expected to differ during their interactions. For example, if both individuals prefer the same object, the dominant person is assumed to have priority, suggesting that their choice reflects a true preference. Conversely, if the subordinate person chooses an object, it remains uncertain whether that choice genuinely reflects their preference or whether they were forced to choose it. This study aims to investigate these dynamics.

In this study, 64 children aged 4-7 are participating (data collection is ongoing). The children watch a video featuring two actors through two familiarization events followed by an orientation event. In the first familiarization event, each actor is shown separately sitting in a chair at the center of the screen, followed by a scene where both actors appear, with one eventually occupying the chair. In the second event, each actor individually picks up a toy from a table and expresses joy, followed by a simultaneous scene where the dominant actor picks up the toy again, demonstrating dominance. During the orientation event, both actors are shown with two new toys on the table. The dominant actor selects one toy, expresses enjoyment, and puts it back. Then, the subordinate actor chooses the other toy, also showing enjoyment, and put it back. After watching the videos, children are asked which object each actor selected and how much the actor appeared to like the chosen toy. They are also asked which actor they perceive as the "boss," whom they prefer, and which toy they favor. Preliminary results indicate that children accurately interpret the social status of the actors, consistently identifying the dominant actor as the "boss." They appear more confident that the dominant actor's choice reflects her true preference, while they are less certain about the subordinate actor's selection. Notably, children do not express a preference for the dominant actor over the subordinate one or for the toy chosen by the dominant actor. If these results hold, they will provide the first evidence that children can recognize social status and use that understanding to infer preferences and mental states in others.

Author information

Author	Role
Marie-Claire Diehl, Southern Illinois University	Presenting author
Ila Mostafa, Southern Illinois University	Non-presenting author
Youjung Choi, Southern Illinois University	Non-presenting author

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