The Influence of Recipient Social Behavior on Risky Decision-Making among 4 to 6 Year-Old Children in Gain and Loss Contexts

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the influence of recipient social behavior on risky decision-making among 4- to 6-year-old children in gain and loss contexts. A total of 210 Chinese children aged 4 to 6 years participated in a situational experimental task. The study investigated children’s risk preferences when making choices for recipients described as either prosocial or aggressive. The results showed that, in the gain context, children generally tended to make more risky choices for prosocial recipients and more conservative choices for aggressive recipients. In contrast, in the loss context, children generally tended to make more conservative choices for prosocial recipients and more risky choices for aggressive recipients. Age-related differences were also observed in the number of risky choices, although the pattern of age differences varied across decision contexts and recipient social behavior conditions. These findings suggest that when children make risky decisions for others, their choices may be influenced not only by gain/loss contexts, but also by the social behavior characteristics of the recipient.