If They Won’t Know, I Won’t Wait: Anticipated Social Consequences Drive Children’s Performance on Self-Control Tasks
研究发现，3-5岁中国儿童在等待奖励时，如果认为实验者不会知道他们等了多久，等待时间会减半；预期的社会奖励对行为的影响至少与物质奖励相当。
This research evaluated the hypothesis that the act of offering an incentive produces anticipated social benefits that are distinct from the benefits associated with the incentive itself. Across three preregistered studies, 3- to 5-year-old children in China (total N = 210) were given an opportunity to wait for an additional sticker (Studies 1 and 3) or an edible treat (Study 2). Rewards were dispensed via a timer-controlled box that allowed the experimenter’s apparent ability to learn how long children waited to be manipulated experimentally. Children waited only about half as long when they believed the experimenter would not find out how long they waited. When children were offered three prizes for waiting, anticipated social benefits still drove behavior at least as much as the reward. The findings demonstrate that children as young as 3 years are sensitive to anticipated social rewards when responding to offers of incentives.