Stickers versus wafers: The value of resource in a public goods game with children

Abstract

We investigated how the type of resource, food (wafer) or non-food (sticker), age and sex influence cooperation in children. 251 children were tested in a public goods game during eight rounds in two experimental conditions: wafer or sticker condition. Wafers were all of the same kind but stickers were varied. The results indicated that 1) older children donated more stickers than younger children, but they did not differ in relation to wafer donations; and 2) sticker donations remained high along the rounds, while wafer donations decreased. We propose that different strategies may be adopted according to the quality, particularly to the diversity of the resource used, and the cost of cooperation may be overcome when it is more advantageous to wait for a future reward.