--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: showed a group of two- and…" description: "\"“showed a group of two- and three-year-olds a new game. A puppet then appeared and performed the game incorrectly. Almost all the children protested th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7e/nicholas-wade-11913_quote_showed-a-group-of-two-and-three-year-old_1832960.jpg" --- # showed a group of two- and three-year-olds a new game. A… ![“showed a group of two- and three-year-olds a new game. A puppet then appeared and performed the game incorrectly. Almost all the children protested the puppet’s actions and many explicitly objected, telling the puppet how the game should be played. “Social norms—even of this relatively trivial…” quote by Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7e/nicholas-wade-11913_quote_showed-a-group-of-two-and-three-year-old_1832960.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7e/nicholas-wade-11913_quote_showed-a-group-of-two-and-three-year-old_1832960.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7e/nicholas-wade-11913_quote_showed-a-group-of-two-and-three-year-old_1832960.jpg) > ““showed a group of two- and three-year-olds a new game. A puppet then appeared and performed the game incorrectly. Almost all the children protested the puppet’s actions and many explicitly objected, telling the puppet how the game should be played. “Social norms—even of this relatively trivial type—can only be created by creatures who engage in shared intentionality and collective beliefs,” Tomasello writes, “and they play an enormously important role in maintaining the shared values of human cultural groups.” 7”” [Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Children instinctively correct others, showing that shared norms arise from collective intentionality and belief. **In simple terms:** Kids correct mistakes, showing shared norms need joint intention. Key Takeaway Encourage collaborative learning and respect for shared rules. Themes social norms shared intentionality culture development Mood curious reflective Type educational philosophical When to use this quote - early childhood education - parenting - team sports - workplace training Key Concepts collective belief social cognition norm formation Questions to Reflect On - How do we balance shared norms with personal creativity? - When should we challenge a norm? A Different Perspective Norms can be rigid and suppress individuality if not balanced. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Norms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/norms/) [Social norms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-norms/) ## Related quotes > [“The inseparable bond between past and future is the cause and effect of our collective beliefs and the choices influenced by them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-a-petti/the-inseparable-bond-between-past-and-future-is-the-cause-and-effect/) [Matthew A. Petti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-a-petti/) > [“We're all teased or pressured into conforming to the all-levelling social norms of mediocrity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-m-forester/we-re-all-teased-or-pressured-into-conforming-to-the-all-levelling/) [H.M. Forester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-m-forester/) > [People are going to behave however the social norms permit, and beyond that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-cannon/people-are-going-to-behave-however-the-social-norms-permit-and-beyond/) [Max Cannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-cannon/) > [Openly weeping in front of strangers was such a break from social norms that it was liberating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-wix/openly-weeping-in-front-of-strangers-was-such-a-break-from-social/) [Katy Wix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-wix/) > [Goodwill and reputation are intangibles, but they are the keys to business success. Since they are also inexorably linked to social values, it follows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/goodwill-and-reputation-are-intangibles-but-they-are-the-keys-to/) [Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/) > [Sorting through what social conventions we ought to adopt for the Internet is a pretty tricky and complicated topic. I think we are just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/sorting-through-what-social-conventions-we-ought-to-adopt-for-the/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) > [The way that social norms become social norms is not through any systematic process. It is through a flowering of an understanding within a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-murray/the-way-that-social-norms-become-social-norms-is-not-through-any/) [Charles Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-murray/) > [Peer pressure and social norms are powerful influences on behaviour, and they are classic excuses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lansley/peer-pressure-and-social-norms-are-powerful-influences-on-behaviour/) [Andrew Lansley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lansley/) > [Media play a powerful role in establishing and perpetuating social norms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-katz/media-play-a-powerful-role-in-establishing-and-perpetuating-social/) [Jackson Katz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-katz/) > [“If norms are oppressive, try to foster acceptance of deviations, don't try to destroy the norms themselves — that's a fool's errand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-j-kirk/if-norms-are-oppressive-try-to-foster-acceptance-of-deviations-don-t/) [T.J. Kirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-j-kirk/) > [Yeah, I think society has changed and women's sport has reaped the benefits from it. Women's sport pushes those social norms as well and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-williamson/yeah-i-think-society-has-changed-and-women-s-sport-has-reaped-the/) [Leah Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-williamson/) > [A democratic medical establishment does not alter people's bodies to fit regressive social norms; it advocates for patients by demanding the social body get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-dreger/a-democratic-medical-establishment-does-not-alter-people-s-bodies-to/) [Alice Dreger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-dreger/) > [We've never lived in an environment in which it has been so easy to capture information and share it. That fact that it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/we-ve-never-lived-in-an-environment-in-which-it-has-been-so-easy-to/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) > [I will defend the absolute value of Mozart over Miley Cyrus, of course I will, but we should be wary of false dichotomies. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/i-will-defend-the-absolute-value-of-mozart-over-miley-cyrus-of-course/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [“Look at the kind of people who most object to the childishness and cheapness of celebrity culture. Does one really want to side with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/look-at-the-kind-of-people-who-most-object-to-the-childishness-and/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) ## More by Nicholas Wade > [“there is every reason to suppose that people living in agrarian societies were subject to intense forces of natural selection. But what traits were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wade/there-is-every-reason-to-suppose-that-people-living-in-agrarian/) [Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/) > [“The English state thus constructed a system, later followed by other European countries, in which the ruler was subject to the law and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wade/the-english-state-thus-constructed-a-system-later-followed-by-other/) [Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/) > [“Although the emotional and intellectual differences between the world’s peoples as individuals are slight enough, even a small shift in social behavior can generate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wade/although-the-emotional-and-intellectual-differences-between-the-world/) [Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/) > [“The king and queen were usually present, and the king or the dauphin would light a pyre. 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Populations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wade/it-is-easy-to-recognize-an-evolutionary-process-at-work-that-has/) [Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/) > [“Americans may already have begun adapting genetically to the American environment in the several generations since their ancestors arrived in the United States. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wade/americans-may-already-have-begun-adapting-genetically-to-the-american/) [Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/) > [“others are still in the throes of the process. 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Coleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-s-coleman/) > [We've never lived in an environment in which it has been so easy to capture information and share it. That fact that it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/we-ve-never-lived-in-an-environment-in-which-it-has-been-so-easy-to/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) > [A democratic medical establishment does not alter people's bodies to fit regressive social norms; it advocates for patients by demanding the social body get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-dreger/a-democratic-medical-establishment-does-not-alter-people-s-bodies-to/) [Alice Dreger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-dreger/) > [Maybe Larry Kings cannot thrive or even survive in a world where the norms for discourse are rage, vehemence and character assassination. 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