The Sharing Behaviour of Kindergarten and Fourth Grade Students in Different Conditions

ABSTRACT Two studies are reported in this research. The aim of the studies was to determine whether children's costly sharing behaviours vary based on the individuals they interact with, who either make them laugh or teach them something. In the first study, the data collectors (joker and teacher) interacted face‐to‐face with the children. It was found that girls exhibited significantly higher levels of costly sharing behaviour compared to boys. In the second study, the children watched videos of the data collectors. In the second study, fourth‐grade students shared significantly more than kindergarten children. When the results of the first and second studies were compared, no changes were observed in the fourth‐grade students. In the second study, kindergarteners exhibited significantly less sharing behaviour compared to the first study. Girls, who showed significantly more sharing behaviour than boys in the first study, experienced a significant decrease and shared less than boys in the second study.