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The developmental foundations of human fairness

Author

Listed:
  • Katherine McAuliffe

    (Boston College)

  • Peter R. Blake

    (Boston University)

  • Nikolaus Steinbeis

    (Leiden University
    Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences)

  • Felix Warneken

    (Harvard University)

Abstract

New behavioural and neuroscientific evidence on the development of fairness behaviours demonstrates that the signatures of human fairness can be traced into childhood. Children make sacrifices for fairness (1) when they have less than others, (2) when others have been unfair and (3) when they have more than others. The latter two responses mark a critical departure from what is observed in other species because they enable fairness to be upheld even when doing so goes against self-interest. This new work can be fruitfully combined with insights from cognitive neuroscience to understand the mechanisms of developmental change.

Suggested Citation

  • Katherine McAuliffe & Peter R. Blake & Nikolaus Steinbeis & Felix Warneken, 2017. "The developmental foundations of human fairness," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 1(2), pages 1-9, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nathum:v:1:y:2017:i:2:d:10.1038_s41562-016-0042
    DOI: 10.1038/s41562-016-0042
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    Cited by:

    1. Brañas-Garza, Pablo & Caldentey, Pedro & Espín, Antonio M. & Garcia, Teresa & Hernández, Ana, 2020. "Exposure to economic inequality at the age of 8 enhances prosocial behaviour in adult life," MPRA Paper 100683, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Lucio Esposito & Shatakshee Dhongde & Christopher Millett, 2021. "Smoking habits in Mexico: Upward and downward comparisons of economic status," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(3), pages 1558-1575, August.
    3. Annie C Spokes & Elizabeth S Spelke, 2018. "At 4.5 but not 5.5 years, children favor kin when the stakes are moderately high," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(8), pages 1-11, August.
    4. Dandan Li & Ofir Turel & Shuyue Zhang & Qinghua He, 2022. "Self-Serving Dishonesty Partially Substitutes Fairness in Motivating Cooperation When People Are Treated Fairly," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(10), pages 1-14, May.

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