Group membership biases children’s evaluation of evidence
2025-12-15
People form beliefs not only as individual agents, but as members of social groups. Here, we investigate how group membership influences belief formation and revision in childhood. Across three studies ( N = 262), 4–6-year-old children either joined one of two groups or neither group, then evaluated evidence to arrive at a conclusion. Children who belonged to a group were more convinced by evidence that supported their ingroup’s belief (Study 1 & 2) and were less convinced by evidence that opposed their ingroup’s belief (Study 3), leading them to hold inaccurate group beliefs. Children who did not belong to a group rationally evaluated the available evidence and arrived at accurate conclusions. These results suggest that group membership modulates children’s evidentiary standards.