| Abstract: | A task analysis indicated that equality, group enhancement, and superiority social decisions require a greater information processing load (i.e., are relatively complex) than altruism, rivalry, and individualism social decisions. Four experiments were conducted to validate the task analysis and to examine the influence of a social decision-making task modification designed to reduce the information processing demands of the equality and superiority social decisions. The results indicate the following: (1) 39 undergraduates took longer to identify the complex than the simple social outcomes. (2) The undergraduates and 57 36–93 mo olds made more errors identifying the complex than the simple social outcomes, and the 36–93 mo olds who made complex social decisions made fewer outcome identification errors, particularly for the complex social outcomes, than those who made simple social decisions. (3) A modification of the social outcome identification task produced a reduction in the outcome identification error rates among 24 48–93 mo olds, particularly for the complex social outcomes. (4) A modification of the social decision-making task eliminated the age differences in social decision-making across a 36–70 mo old age range in 55 Ss. A cognitive social learning interpretation is discussed. (31 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
