Research on the development of ownership---An aspect of the study of psychology and the law

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Ownership is a fundamental social concept in our social lives. My study focuses on the concept of ownership differentiated from just possession in terms of cognitive development. Sixteen children were interviewed. The following items were asked. The meating and definition of possession and ownership. The beginning and the end of possession and ownership. The origination and termination of possession and ownership. The reason of possession and ownership. Money as a social concept. Even five year old children have a sense of ownership to some extent. However, some of them explain that they lose ownership, if they lose possession. This suggested that they fail to understand the concept of ownershio differentiated from real possession. Six year old children tend to be equipped with the notion of ownership differentiated from real possession to some extant. Children seem to understand buying and selling as a social concept and it seems that buying and selling brings forth the notion of the origin the idea of authority of ownership. Children have a vague idea of how money, buying and selling, and ownership of belongings are related to one another. In addition to buying and selling, children seem to understand the idea of donation and the relationship between donation and ownership. However, this tends to be only valid among the family. Five year old children don't seem to understand well the reciprocity of ownership. Therefore, their claim of ownership may originate from the strength of their ego. Six year old children tend to understand the reciprocity of ownership considerably. Their implication is that their naive idea may reflects the folk theory of ownership.