Developmental shifts toward structural explanations and interventions for social status disparities

As part of their early “essentialist” intuitions, young children view intergroup differences as reflecting groups’ intrinsic natures. In the present study, we explore nature and development “structural” reasoning, or extrinsic circumstances. We introduced participants (n = 315; ages 5–6, 9–10, adults) to novel status disparities that could be attributed either personal structural causes. Disparities were verbally framed in intrinsic, neutral terms. assessed attributions by asking explain offer interventions for them. also participants’ status-based social preferences. found shifted from over development. Explanations correlated related same predictors (framing age) outcomes (social preferences), although consistently more than explanations. Implications essentialism, causal are discussed.