He Didn't Want Me to Feel Sad: Children's Reactions to Disappointment and Apology

Abstract Experimental studies of children's responses to apologies often present participants with hypothetical scenarios. This article reports on an experimental study of children's reactions to experiencing an actual disappointment and subsequent apology. Participants (ages four to seven) were told that another child was supposed to share some attractive stickers with them. In the two primary conditions, the other child kept the stickers for himself or herself. Some participants received an apology from the other child, whereas others did not. Compared with children who did not receive the apology, the apology recipients: (1) reported feeling better; (2) viewed the other child as more remorseful; and (3) rated the other child as nicer. Support was found for a mediation model of apology: the positive effects of the apology on children's emotions were accounted for by the effective signaling of remorse by the wrongdoer.