Boys and girls in a dictator’s shoes: Prosocial choices under give–take frames with preschoolers

From an early age, children grapple with questions of fairness and generosity, but do boys and girls approach these moral challenges in the same way? This study examines altruistic behavior in 4- and 5-year-old children using a modified version of the dictator game with two framing conditions: give (sharing from one’s own endowment) and take (subtracting from another’s endowment). These frames elicit distinct moral intuitions, offering a more nuanced perspective on early prosocial behavior. The gender of the recipient (boy vs. girl) was also manipulated to assess whether gender-based solidarity or competitive biases influenced sharing decisions. Results revealed that, on average, boys and girls responded differently to the framing of the task. Boys shared less when giving from their own endowment (37%) and more when taking from another’s (61%), resulting in a notably large framing effect (d = 1.21). Girls, instead, shared more similar amounts across both contexts (45% in give scenarios vs. 51% in take scenarios; d = 0.31). While children varied in their individual responses, these differences suggest that boys were more sensitive to who originally “owned” the resource, whereas girls displayed a steadier inclination toward equality. The overall framing effect was substantial (d = 0.77) and appeared stronger among younger children, hinting at developmental variability even within this narrow age range. No effects of recipient gender were found, indicating that gender-based distinctions may not influence prosocial behavior at this age. Taken together, these findings suggest that preschoolers’ sharing behavior is shaped by the moral framing of the action, revealing gender-specific sensitivities.