ERIC Number: EJ1487263
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Nov
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0961-205X
EISSN: EISSN-1467-9507
Available Date: 2025-09-18
The Development of Preschool Children's Use of the Majority Rule
Norbert Zmyj1; Thomas Goll2; Jan Zaborski1
Social Development, v34 n4 e70027 2025
The majority rule is a core decision-making principle in groups and democracies, where the preference of over half the members determines the collective outcome. This study investigated whether children aged 3-5 (N = 156, approximately 50% girls and boys, from predominantly White families) apply the majority rule in a group of peers with differing preferences. Results showed that 5-year-olds, but not 3- or 4-year-olds, were more likely to choose activities favored by the majority of their peers. When justifying their choices, 5-year-olds more frequently referred to the majority rule than younger children. Results also showed that children supported a teacher's decision regardless of whether she followed the majority or the minority. These results are discussed in terms of children's ability to apply the majority rule in social settings.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Preschool Children, Preferences, Majority Attitudes, Age Differences, Decision Making, Democracy, Power Structure, Interpersonal Competence
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www-wiley-com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Germany
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Institute of Psychology, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany; 2Institute for Interdisciplinary Didactics, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany

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