Psychologists wanted to test how young children think about rewards and fairness. In an experiment, two teachers handed out rewards while children (ages four to six) watched. The teachers gave out the same number of rewards, but one of them counted the rewards out loud. The children were then asked who was fairer. 73% chose the teacher who counted. The psychologists think that counting showed the children that the teacher wanted to be fair. The children may have believed that the teacher who did not count did not care about fairness.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
Explanation
Context: Psychologists wanted to test how young children (ages 4–6) understand fairness. Two teachers distributed the same number of rewards, but one counted aloud. 73% of children chose the counting teacher as fairer. Researchers think counting signaled the intent to be fair, while not counting signaled indifference to fairness.
Answer: D) An experiment showed that the way rewards are given out may affect whether young children think the situation is fair.
Why? The main finding is that HOW rewards are distributed (with or without counting aloud) affects children's perception of fairness — not just whether equal numbers were given. D accurately captures this finding about process affecting perceived fairness.
Traps:
- A) "Psychologists think children cannot understand the concept of fairness until a certain age" → the study tested 4–6 year olds who clearly did understand fairness; no developmental age threshold is mentioned
- B) "An experiment found that counting out loud is the best way to teach mathematical concepts to children" → about math education; the experiment is about fairness perception, not math learning
- C) "Psychologists think young children expect to be rewarded when the children feel they have earned rewards" → about merit-based expectations; the experiment is about the process of distribution affecting fairness judgments