Development of spatial size representation of the social categorization of rich and poor

Abstract Based on the embodied association between spatial size and the social categorization of rich and poor, this study explored the development of embodied cognitive representations of rich and poor in Chinese culture. In Experiment 1, we found that for children aged 4-, 6-, and 7- years-old, rich cartoon stick figures were associated with a big balloon more often than poor stick figures were. In Experiment 2, we also found that for children aged 4-, 6-, and 7-years-old, rich cartoon stick figures were associated with a big frame more often than poor stick figures were. In Experiment 3, we found that for 4- and 6-year-olds, larger cartoon figures were categorized as rich, and smaller cartoon figures were categorized as poor; for children aged 7-years-old, their response time to words relevant to the rich presented in a larger font was faster relative to that of words presented in a smaller font, and vice versa for words relevant to the poor. These results indicate that, from 4-years-old, children can use spatial size to represent the social categories of rich and poor.