08/19/2026
What does it mean for children to be “cooperative”? ✨
It turns out, the answer may depend on the situation and the community children are growing up in. In a study with 5- to 13-year-olds across five societies, researchers found that children’s choices around fairness, trust, forgiveness, and honesty did not all change in the same way.
Some cooperative behaviors became more similar to adult expectations with age, while others followed different patterns. This suggests that cooperation is not a single skill children simply “grow into.” Instead, children may be learning many different social expectations over time, shaped by the people and communities around them.
If you are interested in getting involved in our research, check out the LinkTree in our bio or email [email protected] for more information! 🧩
Read more about this study from Dr. Amir here:
Amir, D., Ahl, R. E., Jordan, M. R., Bolotin, H., Bogese, M., González, G. T., Callaghan, T., Sugiyama, L. S., Otali, E., Tusiime, P., Bangayan, S., Snodgrass, J. J., & McAuliffe, K. (2026). The emergence of cooperative behaviors, norms, and strategies across five diverse societies. Science advances, 12(6), eadw9995. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adw9995
