A recent study investigated how children interact in a game where they must collaborate to succeed. According to the authors, the results offer important insights into group dynamics and highlight the benefits of having clear, specific objectives.
A new study reveals that children can unite to achieve a goal that serves the entire group, even if it comes at their own expense.
Researchers invited groups of children aged six to ten to participate in a game where they received water containers, allowing them to decide how much water to contribute to a shared pool.
If the group contributed enough water, everyone benefited, but children also had the option to keep some water for themselves.
Participants either received feedback on their own results in the game or on the collective outcomes of the group.
The findings indicated that most groups successfully achieved their goals and cooperated until the final round, even when children could see the others’ results.
Nonetheless, those who observed everyone’s outcomes were slightly less inclined to continue meeting the required contributions as the game went on, leading to more evident differences in individual results.
The researchers emphasized that these findings shed light on how groups can collaborate to address collective issues and illustrate the importance of setting clear and precise goals.
This research, published in the journal Psychological Science, involved contributions from the University of Plymouth (UK), Freie Universität Berlin, the Max Planck Institute for Human Development (Germany), and the IESE Business School (Spain).
Dr. Patricia Kanngiesser, Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Plymouth and the study’s lead author, stated, “Many societal challenges today revolve around the conflict between personal interest and the greater good. This is especially relevant in discussions about climate action, where success relies on collective efforts. Our study illustrates that aiming for a clear target can lead to outcomes that benefit everyone, and even children as young as six can achieve this.”
The research builds upon previous studies by Dr. Kanngiesser and her colleague Dr. Jan Woike, who have used games to explore human behavior and ways to enhance cooperation.
It also provided a chance to examine earlier findings that suggested comparing personal and group results might breed competition and reduce the willingness to contribute to the shared benefit.
During the game, children were allowed to communicate and discussed their goal of reaching the common objective.
When they had the opportunity to view everyone’s results, they frequently compared their achievements with those of their peers.
This led to increased general communication as well, with children emphasizing their contributions of water, indicating their ability to adapt and coordinate efforts in response to varying circumstances.
Dr. Kanngiesser added, “This game was designed for children at an age where competitive feelings are starting to emerge. We might have expected competition to manifest when children realized how their peers were performing. However, that wasn’t predominantly observed. It shows that with meaningful goals and appropriate feedback, we can encourage individuals to prioritize actions that benefit society as a whole over their own interests.”
How the game worked
The study involved 240 children from Germany and India. In the game, groups of three children received water containers, and they were invited to contribute a portion to a communal pool while retaining any unshared water.
Achieving a specific amount in that pool would allow them to assist a thirsty animal, with every group member receiving the same additional water, regardless of their contribution level. This set up an incentive for children to hold onto as much of their own water as possible.
The game had eight rounds. In half the groups, children only saw their personal collected water after each round, while in the other half, they were informed of their own and everyone else’s totals.
