The role of cognitive development and socialization in the initial development of team loyalty

Using Piaget's (1970) theory of cognitive development, the present study ex amines when children first begin to demonstrate team loyalty. An interview and testing protocol was administered to children aged 5-6 and 8-9. Preoper ational, transitional, and concrete operational children were capable of de monstrating a psychological commitment to a favorite team that was resistan t to change, but not the behavioral consistency indicative of loyalty. The current study demonstrates that children form preferences for sports teams early in life and that they are capable of forming a commitment to a sports team as young as age 5. The present study is one of the first efforts to i nclude a transitional phase in the assessment of cognitive development. Res ults from the interviews showed that fathers were the most influential soci alizing agent relative to introducing children to sports teams and that the gender stereotype associating sports with males was prevalent among childr en in both age groups.