The development and predictors of a preference for strivers over naturals in the United States and China

Across three pre-registered studies (n = 221 4-9-year-olds, 51% female; 218 parents, 80% female; working- and middle-class backgrounds; data collected during 2019-2021) conducted in the US (Studies 1-2; 74% White) and China (Study 3; 100% Asian), we document the emergence of a preference for “strivers”. Beginning at age 7, strivers (who work really hard) were favored over naturals (who are really smart) in both cultures (R2 ranging .03-.11). We explored several lay beliefs surrounding this preference. Beliefs about outcomes and the controllability of effort predicted the striver preference: Children who expected strivers to be more successful than naturals and believed effort was more controllable than talent preferred strivers more. Implications of the striver preference in education and beyond are discussed.