Smart Conformists: Children and Adolescents Associate Conformity With Intelligence Across Cultures

Wen, N. J., Clegg, J. M. and Legare, C. H. (2017), Smart Conformists: Children and Adolescents Associate Conformity With Intelligence Across Cultures. Child Dev. doi:10.1111/cdev.12935

Abstract: The current study used a novel methodology based on multivocal ethnography to assess the relations between conformity and evaluations of intelligence and good behavior among Western (U.S.) and non-Western (Ni-Vanuatu) children (6- to 11-year-olds) and adolescents (13- to 17-year-olds; N = 256). Previous research has shown that U.S. adults were less likely to endorse high-conformity children as intelligent than Ni-Vanuatu adults. The current data demonstrate that in contrast to prior studies documenting cultural differences between adults' evaluations of conformity, children and adolescents in the United States and Vanuatu have a conformity bias when evaluating peers' intelligence and behavior. Conformity bias for good behavior increases with age. The results have implications for understanding the interplay of conformity bias and trait psychology across cultures and development.