Publications
2026
Scholarly publications
Sierksma, J., Poorthuis, A. M. G., & Schleihauf, H. (2026). The impact of grouping by ability on children’s thinking about academic performance. PsyArXiv. https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/qy8fa_v1 [Repository]
Schenker, L.-E., Sierksma, J., Nikolic, M., & Brummelman, E. (2026). Does teacher praise make children feel less smart? Two preregistered virtual reality experiments. PsyArXiv. [DOI] [Repository]
Brummelman, E., Aerts, N., Alders, L. N., Armstrong, H., Blokland, E., Đurić, M., Nelemans, S., Schenker, L.-E., Sierksma, J., & Vullings, N. (2026). “It’s Ok—Not Everyone Has to Be an Einstein”: How Unequal Treatment in the Classroom Gets into Children’s Heads. PsyArXiv. [DOI] [Repository]
Sierksma, J., & Brummelman, E. (2026). “If you’re one star, you’ve missed the bar” How ability grouping can perpetuate achievement inequality. PsyArXiv. [DOI] [Repository]
2025
Scholarly publications
Sierksma, J., & Poorthuis, A. M. G. (2025). Mastery‐Oriented or Outcome‐Oriented Help? How Recipient Ethnicity and Task Difficulty Shape Children's Helping Behavior. Developmental Science, 28(6), Article e70071. [DOI] [Repository]
Sierksma, J., & Brummelman, E. (2025). “Here, let me do it for you”: Psychological consequences of receiving direct and indirect help in childhood. Child Development, 96(5), 1660-1674. [DOI] [Repository]
Klootwijk, C. L. T., Lee, N. C., van Atteveldt, N., & Sierksma, J. (2025). Kind actions, kind reactions? The impact of considerate behavior on children's social preferences. Developmental Psychology. Advance online publication. [DOI]
Sierksma, J., & Shutts, K. (2025). The unintended negative consequences of help in childhood. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 34(4), 247-252. [DOI] [Repository]
2024
Scholarly publications
Brummelman, E., van Atteveldt, N., Wolf, S., & Sierksma, J. (2024). Using social and behavioral science to address achievement inequality. npj Science of Learning, 9(1), Article 44. [DOI] [Repository]
2023
Scholarly publications
Sierksma, J. (2023). Children perpetuate competence-based inequality when they help peers. npj Science of Learning, 8(1), Article 41. [DOI] [Repository]
2022
Scholarly publications
Sierksma, J., Brey, E., & Shutts, K. (2022). Racial Stereotype Application in 4-to-8-Year-Old White American Children: Emergence and Specificity. Journal of Cognition and Development, 23(5), 660-685. [DOI] [Repository]
Sierksma, J., Klootwijk, C. L. T., & Lee, N. C. (2022). Prosocial Choices: How Do Young Children Evaluate Considerate and Inconsiderate Behavior? Developmental Psychology, 58(11), 2013–2021. [DOI]
2021
Scholarly publications
Sierksma, J., & Shutts, K. (2021). Competence-based helping: Children's consideration of need when providing others with help. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 210, Article 105206. [DOI]
Other output
Sierksma, J., & Shutts, K. (2021). When helping hurts: Children think groups that receive help are less smart. Paper presented at VNOP conference 2021.
Sierksma, J., & Shutts, K. (2021). Competence-based helping: Young children do not distribute help according to need. Paper presented at SRCD 2021 Biennial Meeting.
Sierksma, J., & Shutts, K. (2021). How receiving help affects children’s competence beliefs and task motivation.. Paper presented at SRCD 2021 Biennial Meeting.
Sierksma, J., & Shutts, K. (2021). Competence-based helping: Young children do not distribute help according to need. Paper presented at Conference Kurt Lewin Institute 2021.
Sierksma, J., Brey, E., & Shutts, K. (2021). Racial stereotype application in 4-to-8-year old white American children: Emergence and specificity. Paper presented at SRCD 2021 Biennial Meeting.
Sierksma, J. (2021). Do children help competent and incompetent children differently?. Paper presented at LEARN! Conference 2021.
2020
Scholarly publications
Sierksma, J., & Shutts, K. (2020). When helping hurts: Children think groups that receive help are less smart. Child Development, 91(3), 715-723. [DOI]
2019
Scholarly publications
Sierksma, J., & Bijlstra, G. (2019). Majority group children expect that ethnic out-group peers feel fewer positive but more negative emotions than in-group peers. Cognition and Emotion, 33(6), 1210-1223. [DOI]
Spaltman, M., Lansu, T. A. M., & Sierksma, J. (2019). Children tell more prosocial lies in favor of in-group than out-group peers. Developmental Psychology, 55(7), 1428-1439. [DOI]
Other output
Sierksma, J., & Shutts, K. (2019). When helping hurts: Children think groups that receive help are less smart. Paper presented at JENA EASP workshop on the evolution, emergence, development, and maintenance of stereotypes, Jena, Germany.
2018
Scholarly publications
Sierksma, J. (2018). Costs of helping only influence children's intention to help ethnic out-group peers. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 173, 85-99. [DOI]
Sierksma, J. (2018). Over wanneer en waarom kinderen helpen. Kind en adolescent, 39(3), 205-217. [DOI]
Sierksma, J., Lansu, T. A. M., Karremans, J. C., & Bijlstra, G. (2018). Children's helping behavior in an ethnic intergroup context: Evidence for outgroup helping. Developmental Psychology, 54(5), 916-928. [DOI]
Other output
Sierksma, J., Lansu, T. A. M., Karremans, J., & Bijlstra, G. (2018). Negative out-group stereotypes can motivate children to help the out-group more. Paper presented at Society of Personality and Social Psychology Annual Convention, Atlanta, United States.
2017
Scholarly publications
Sierksma, J., & Thijs, J. T. (2017). Intergroup helping: How do children see it? In E. van Leeuwen, & Z. Hannah (Eds.), Intergroup Helping (pp. 65-75). Springer.
Other output
Sierksma, J. (2017). Costs of helping only influence children’s intention to help ethnic out-group peers’. Poster session presented at Bi-Ennial Conference of the Cognitive Development Society, Portland, United States.
Sierksma, J., Lansu, T. A. M., Karremans, J., & Bijlstra, G. (2017). Negative out-group stereotypes can motivate children to help the out-group more. Paper presented at SRCD Biennial Meeting 2017, Austin, Texas, United States.
2015
Scholarly publications
Verkuijten, M., Sierksma, J., & Martinovic, B. (2015). First Arrival and Collective Land Ownership: How Children Reason About Who Owns the Land. Social Development, 24(4), 868-882. [DOI] [Repository]
Sierksma, J., Thijs, J. T., & Verkuijten, M. J. A. M. (2015). In-group bias in children’s intention to help can be overpowered by inducing empathy. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 33(1), 45-56. [DOI] [Repository]
Sierksma, J. (2015). Bounded helping: How morality and intergroup relations shape children's reasoning about helping. [Doctoral thesis 1 (Research UU / Graduation UU), Universiteit Utrecht]. Utrecht University. [Repository]
Verkuijten, M., Sierksma, J., & Thijs, J. (2015). First arrival and owning the land: How children reason about ownership of territory. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 41, 58-64. [DOI] [Repository]
Other output
Sierksma, J. (2015). Children’s perception of intergroup emotions: The role of similarity and social identity. Paper presented at British Psychological Society's Developmental and Social Section Annual Conference, Manchester, United Kingdom.
2014
Scholarly publications
Verkuijten, M., Thijs, J., & Sierksma, J. (2014). Majority children's evaluation of acculturation preferences of immigrant and emigrant peers. Child Development, 85(1), 176-191. [DOI]
Sierksma, J., Thijs, J., & Verkuijten, M. (2014). Ethnic helping and group identity: A study among majority group children. Social Development, 23(4), 803-819. [DOI]
Sierksma, J., Thijs, J., Verkuijten, M., & Komter, A. (2014). Children's reasoning about the refusal to help: The role of need, costs, and social perspective taking. Child Development, 85(3), 1134-1149. [DOI]
Sierksma, J., Thijs, J., & Verkuijten, M. (2014). Children's intergroup helping: The role of empathy and peer group norms. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 126, 369-383. [DOI]
Sierksma, J., Thijs, J., & Verkuijten, M. (2014). With a little help from my friends: Bystander context and children's attitude toward peer helping. Journal of Social Psychology, 154(2), 142-154. [DOI]
Other output
Verkuijten, M., Sierksma, J., & Thijs, J. (2014). Children’s intergroup helping: The role of empathy and prosocial reputation. Paper presented at British Psychological Society’s Developmental Section Annual Conference, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Sierksma, J., Thijs, J., & Verkuijten, M. (2014). In-group bias in children's intention to help can be overpowered by inducing empathy. Poster session presented at Symposium 'Understanding each other: Towards an interdisciplinary conceptualization of empathy', Utrecht, Netherlands.
Sierksma, J., Thijs, J., & Verkuijten, M. (2014). From me to you: The role of empathy and reputation in children’s intergroup helping. Poster session presented at 17th General Meeting of the European Association of Social Psychology, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Sierksma, J., Thijs, J., & Verkuijten, M. (2014). In-group bias in children’s helping can be overpowered by inducing empathy. Paper presented at British Psychological Society's Developmental Section Annual Conference, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
2013
Other output
Sierksma, J., Thijs, J. T., & Verkuyten, M. J. A. M. (2013). From me to you: How need and accountability shape children’s helping intention towards in- and out-groups. Paper presented at Paper presented at the European Conference on Psychological Assessment 2013, San Sebastian, Spain.
Thijs, J. T., Verkuyten, M. J. A. M., & Sierksma, J. (2013). Majority children’s evaluation of acculturation preferences. Poster session presented at Poster presented at the SRCD Biennial Meeting, SRCD, Seattle, USA.
Sierksma, J., Thijs, J. T., Verkuyten, M. J. A. M., & Komter, A. E. (2013). Children’s reasoning about the refusal to help: The Role of need, costs, and social perspective taking. Poster session presented at Poster presented at the Eighth Biennial Meeting of the Cognitive Development Society, Memphis, USA.
2012
Other output
Sierksma, J., Thijs, J. T., & Verkuyten, M. J. A. M. (2012). Interethnic helping, morality, and group identity: A study among majority group children. Paper presented at Paper presented at the British Psychological Society's Social Psychological Section Annual Conference, St. Andrews, Scotland, August 22.
Sierksma, J., Thijs, J. T., & Verkuyten, M. J. A. M. (2012). Interethnic helping, morality, and group identity: A study among majority group children. Poster session presented at Paper presented at the Society for Research on Adolescence Biennial meeting, Vancouver, Canada, March 10.
Sierksma, J., Thijs, J. T., & Verkuyten, M. J. A. M. (2012). Helping you helps me: How the bystander intergroup context affects children's endorsement of out-group helping. Paper presented at Paper presented at the British Psychological Society's Social Psychological Section Annual Conference, St. Andrews, Scotland, August 22.
2011
Other output
Sierksma, J., Thijs, J. T., & Verkuyten, M. J. A. M. (2011). Bounded Helping: Group Boundaries and Helping Behavior in Early Adolescents. Paper presented at Paper presented at the biennial meeting for Society for Research in Child Development, Montreal, Canada.