Following Majority Rule versus Deferring to Elders: Educational Background Shapes Group Decision Preference in Burmese Children

Previous studies showed that most children believe majority rule is the right decision rule, and prefer it to authority rule when making group decisions among peers. Yet, these were conducted mostly in Western or similar populations. Here, we conducted experiments with fifty-one Burmese children (4 to 11 years old) at three types of educational institutions: international schools, a monastery school and a day-care centre for street children. In the experiment, children were asked whether they prefer majority or authority rule in a hypothetical story. The result showed the educational institution influences the proportion choosing majority rule, suggesting that preference for majority rule may not be a universal pattern and decision preference may be shaped by cultural factors.