As adults, we appreciate that judgments of us may reflect our associations with other people. This article examines the development of "extended identity" (G. R. Semin & K. Papadopoulou, 1989) in children between 5 and 11 years. In Experiment 1, children were presented with hypothetical scenarios in which they imagined a close associate had committed a rule violation in a highly public context. Only the older children judged that they would be evaluated negatively through their association with the wrongdoer and that they themselves would feel embarrassment. Given the late appearance of extended identity, Experiment 2 addressed contexts in which the child was responsible for a younger child, so that accountability for the other was explicitly demanded. In such contexts, an appreciation of extended identity appeared earlier than it did in Experiment 1, in which no responsibility for the other was involved.
History
Publication status
Published
Journal
Developmental Psychology
ISSN
0012-1649
Publisher
Developmental Psychology
Issue
2
Volume
34
Page range
322-331
ISBN
0012-1649
Department affiliated with
Psychology Publications
Notes
Statistical analysis and theoretical interpretation of results