Spreading the game

An experimental study on the link between children's overimitation and their adoption, transmission, and modification of conventional information

verfasst von: Roman Stengelin, Hanna Schleihauf, Anna Seidl, Anne Böckler-Raettig
Abstract: Overimitation is hypothesized to foster the spread of conventional information within populations. The current study tested this claim by assigning 5-year-old children (N = 64) to one of two study populations based on their overimitation (overimitators [OIs] vs. non-overimitators [non-OIs]). Children were presented with conventional information in the form of novel games lacking instrumental outcomes, and we observed children's adoption, transmission, and modification of this information across two study phases. Results reveal little variation across study populations in the number of game elements that were adopted and transmitted. However, OIs were more likely to use normative language than non-OIs when transmitting game information to their peers. Furthermore, non-OIs modified the games more frequently in the initial study phase, suggesting an inverse relationship between children's overimitation and their tendency to modify conventional information. These findings indicate subtle yet coherent links between children's overimitation and their tendency to transmit and modify conventional information.
Organisationseinheit(en): Institut für Psychologie
Externe Organisation(en): Max-Planck-Institut für evolutionäre Anthropologie
Universität Leipzig
University of California at Berkeley
Deutsches Primatenzentrum GmbH - Leibniz-Institut für Primatenforschung (DPZ)
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Typ: Artikel
Journal: Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
Band: 213
Anzahl der Seiten: 22
ISSN: 0022-0965
Publikationsdatum: 01.2022
Publikationsstatus: Veröffentlicht
Peer-reviewed: Ja
ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete: Experimentelle und kognitive Psychologie, Pädagogische und Entwicklungspsychologie
Elektronische Version(en): https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2021.105271 (Zugang: Offen)

BibTeX

@article{cca2cf64bc9941efbfeb5380e5afdbff,
title = "Spreading the game: An experimental study on the link between children's overimitation and their adoption, transmission, and modification of conventional information",
abstract = "Overimitation is hypothesized to foster the spread of conventional information within populations. The current study tested this claim by assigning 5-year-old children (N = 64) to one of two study populations based on their overimitation (overimitators [OIs] vs. non-overimitators [non-OIs]). Children were presented with conventional information in the form of novel games lacking instrumental outcomes, and we observed children's adoption, transmission, and modification of this information across two study phases. Results reveal little variation across study populations in the number of game elements that were adopted and transmitted. However, OIs were more likely to use normative language than non-OIs when transmitting game information to their peers. Furthermore, non-OIs modified the games more frequently in the initial study phase, suggesting an inverse relationship between children's overimitation and their tendency to modify conventional information. These findings indicate subtle yet coherent links between children's overimitation and their tendency to transmit and modify conventional information.",
keywords = "Cultural Transmission, Imitation, Innovation, Overimitation, Preschoolers, Social Learning",
author = "Roman Stengelin and Hanna Schleihauf and Anna Seidl and Anne B{\"o}ckler-Raettig",
note = "Funding Information: This work was supported by a PRIME (Postdoctoral Researchers International Mobility Experience) Fellowship from the German Academic Exchange Service (Deutscher Akademischer Auslandsdienst [DAAD]) granted to Hanna Schleihauf. We thank Theo Toppe, Anne Sibilsky, and Jan Engelmann for their helpful comments on earlier versions of the manuscript. ",
year = "2022",
month = jan,
doi = "10.1016/j.jecp.2021.105271",
language = "English",
volume = "213",
journal = "Journal of Experimental Child Psychology",
issn = "0022-0965",
publisher = "Academic Press Inc.",
}