Who helps best? Children's evaluation of knowledgeable versus wealthy individuals in negative event contexts

Children favor knowledgeable people in information-seeking contexts, but is this preference maintained when other resources are available to resolve problems? This study addressed whether children relied on knowledge or wealth to decide who is qualified to help someone in need. Sixty-four 5-to 8-year-olds heard stories in which two bystanders (i.e., knowledgeable versus wealthy) witnessed a negative event. Children judged which bystander should assist a victim and which should supervise the situation. Children evaluated each bystander's strategies and duty to help. Across ages, children indicated that the knowledgeable bystander should pro -vide aid, supervise, and help more than the wealthy bystander, but made positive trait attributions about both bystanders. Children referenced how knowledge could produce solutions and with age, were better able to make knowledge-rather than wealth-related predictions about helpful behavior. These findings shed light on children's understanding of wealth and draw connections between children's reasoning about knowledge, wealth, and morality.

Automated summary

Children prefer knowledgeable individuals over wealthy individuals when deciding who is qualified to help someone. With age, they are better able to make predictions about helpful behavior based on knowledge.