{"id":"https://openalex.org/G7608242456","display_name":""I don't want to play with you": Young children's use of social exclusion","description":"Being excluded by others is a startlingly common experience. Three quarters of adults report that they have been ignored by someone they love and many of us remember occasions on which we have been prevented from joining groups or events that were important to us. \n One reason that social exclusion is so common is that it's a powerful form of punishment. We refuse to talk to people who have upset us and avoid individuals who have been unkind. Social exclusion is not always so easily justified however - sometimes individuals are left out simply for belonging to a minority or disadvantaged group. \n Whatever the reason, the effects on the person excluded can be devastating. Research has shown that being ignored even for a few short minutes is a very painful experience. In the longer term, individuals who are socially isolated are at increased risk of mental and physical health problems and are more likely to act in violent and anti-social ways. Social exclusion thus lies at the heart of serious social problems. Social science research can help us to understand why individuals exclude each other and, ultimately, how social exclusion can be reduced. \n This research investigates the roots of social exclusion in young children. We know from previous research that children are very sensitive to the possibility of being excluded themselves, but we do not yet have any experimental evidence about when they choose to exclude others. Across three studies, I will investigate children's social preferences and how those preferences relate to who they choose to exclude from their social interactions. \n The research will use a variety of methods in order to explore these questions. The first two studies will be conducted in York and will examine the situations under which children within Western cultures exclude others from their interactions. The first study will test whether children as young as two prefer individuals who conform to the rules of the group to individuals who dissent from them. The second study will build on this by testing whether slightly older children (3-year-olds) actively exclude individuals who continuously break the rules of the group (e.g., by telling an individual who repeatedly harms someone else 'you can't play with us anymore'). \n The third study will be conducted in the Black Sea region of Turkey and will investigate cultural differences in children's use of social exclusion. The vast majority of previous research on ostracism has been conducted within Western cultures, thus leaving us relatively ignorant of how a person's social background influences their responses to social problems. In this study, I will test whether groups that value conformity and obedience to social rules use ostracism more often than groups that value independence and autonomous decision-making. \n Taken together, these studies will help us to understand the origins of social exclusion. By investigating this phenomenon early in development and across cultures, we can start to understand where our motivation to exclude others comes from. This work also has important practical implications. Understanding when individuals use social exclusion can ultimately help us to design interventions to reduce its prevalence. Furthermore, understanding how responses to social problems vary across different social groups can help produce a more tolerant attitude to cultural differences; a worthy goal in a multi-cultural society like Britain. \n Targeted outreach activities will ensure that educators and others interested groups will be in a position to learn from, and contribute to, this research. Web related activities and contact with the media will allow the general public to engage with it.","funder_award_id":"ES/K007602/1","funder":{"id":"https://openalex.org/F4320334630","display_name":"Economic and Social Research Council","doi":"10.13039/501100000269"},"funded_outputs":["https://openalex.org/W1768279967","https://openalex.org/W1881168796","https://openalex.org/W1901468413","https://openalex.org/W1979371444","https://openalex.org/W2021176841","https://openalex.org/W2099161692","https://openalex.org/W2123452510","https://openalex.org/W2161379722","https://openalex.org/W2350521272","https://openalex.org/W2589637112","https://openalex.org/W2592588114","https://openalex.org/W2603555948"],"funded_outputs_count":12,"parent_awards":[],"sub_awards":[],"sub_awards_count":0,"amount":243599.0,"currency":"GBP","amount_usd":402959.55,"amount_usd_basis":"daily_rate","recipients":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/I52099693","display_name":"University of York","ror":"https://ror.org/04m01e293","country_code":"GB","roles":["lead"],"share":null,"basis":"affiliation_matcher","asserted_by":"funder"}],"recipient_countries":[{"country_code":"GB","share":1.0,"amount_usd":402959.55,"basis":"organisation_location"}],"recipient_regions":[],"research_scope":{"is_research":true,"basis":"funder_default","tier":1},"funding_type":"research","funder_scheme":null,"start_date":"2013-12-31","end_date":"2017-06-29","start_year":2013,"end_year":2017,"landing_page_url":"https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=ES/K007602/1","doi":null,"provenance":"gateway_to_research","lead_investigator":null,"co_lead_investigator":null,"investigators":null,"works_api_url":"https://api.openalex.org/works?filter=awards.id:G7608242456","primary_topic":null,"topics":null,"institution_awarded":[],"updated_date":"2026-11-03T03:01:00.000Z","created_date":"2026-07-13T04:25:00.000Z"}