• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
• /
• v.21 no.1
• /
• pp.83-93
• /
• 2012

This study examined young children's beliefs about trait stability based on trait type and valence. Participants included 120 children (40 three-year-olds, 40 four-year-olds, and 40 five-year olds) recruited from 3 day-care-centers and 1 kindergarten in Seoul and Kyung-Ki province. Results revealed that young children's understanding of traits differed based on trait type and valence. Children demonstrated a strong belief that social-intention traits are more stable and harder to change when compared to internal-state traits. Young children's beliefs on trait stability were also strongly influenced by trait valence. They believed that negative traits are more likely to change for the better while positive traits have greater stability and are less likely to change over time.

• Child Studies in Asia-Pacific Contexts
• /
• v.5 no.2
• /
• pp.83-94
• /
• 2015

The purpose of this study was to understand the influence of personality trait information on young children's perception of initial attraction in peer relationships. The sample consisted of 90 children of three to five years of age in South Korea. Children were presented with an inductive inference task where they had to make inference of a target character's preference on novel-play and prosocial act based on trait labels (smart-not smart, outgoing-shy, nice-mean) and perceptual (toy) similarity information of two test characters. Children showed difference in their use of trait information depending on the perceptual similarity information, trait valence, and inference question with age. This result provides initial support that not only do young children understand the significance of trait in peer attraction but also know when trait label is more informative to use to infer others depending on the situation.