Thinking about multiple identities boosts children's flexible thinking.
Abstract
Studies of children's developing social identification often focus on individual forms
of identity. Yet, everyone has multiple potential identities. Here we investigated
whether making children aware of their multifaceted identities-effectively seeing
themselves from multiple angles-would promote their flexible thinking. In Experiment
1, 6-7-year-old children (N = 48) were assigned to either a Multiple-Identities condition
where they were led to consider their multiple identities (e.g., friend, neighbor)
or to a Physical-Traits condition where they considered their multiple physical attributes
(e.g., legs, arms). Children in the Multiple-Identity condition subsequently expressed
greater flexibility at problem solving and categorization than children in the Physical-Traits
condition. Experiment 2 (N = 72) replicated these findings with a new sample of 6-7
year-old children and demonstrated that a multiple-identity mindset must be self-relevant.
Children who were led to think about another child's multiple identities did not express
as much subsequent creative thinking as did children who thought about their own multiple
identities. Experiment 3 (N = 76) showed that a multiple-identity framework may be
particularly effective when the identities are presented via generic language suggesting
that they are enduring traits (in this case, identities depicted as noun phrases rather
than verbal phrases). These findings illustrate that something as simple as thinking
about one's identity from multiple angles could serve as a tool to help reduce rigid
thinking, which might increase open-mindedness in a society that is becoming increasingly
diverse. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Type
Journal articlePermalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/19050Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1111/desc.12871Publication Info
Gaither, Sarah E; Fan, Samantha P; & Kinzler, Katherine D (2019). Thinking about multiple identities boosts children's flexible thinking. Developmental science. pp. e12871. 10.1111/desc.12871. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/19050.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
Collections
More Info
Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Sarah Elizabeth Gaither
Nicholas J. and Theresa M. Leonardy Associate Professor
Humans are fundamentally social beings, and their interactions represent a core aspect
of human nature. My research focuses on how individuals’ social identities and experiences
across the lifespan motivate their social perceptions and behaviors particularly in
diverse settings. More specifically I am interested in three main questions: 1) how
intergroup contact shapes interracial interaction outcomes for both racial majority
and racial minority individuals2) how ha

Articles written by Duke faculty are made available through the campus open access policy. For more information see: Duke Open Access Policy
Rights for Collection: Scholarly Articles
Works are deposited here by their authors, and represent their research and opinions, not that of Duke University. Some materials and descriptions may include offensive content. More info