'Might makes right': an infantile mindset

[JBeukema]

Developmental psychologist Lotte Thomsen of the University of Copenhagen and her collaborators showed infants cartoon movies in which two different-size blocks, each having an eye and a mouth, bounced toward each other starting from opposite sides of a platform. When they met in the middle, the blocks collided, then backed up several times, as if competing for the right to move forward. Then one block bowed down and scooted out of the way of the other one, which continued along its path.
Ten-month-old infants looked longer at scenes in which the bigger object surrendered, indicating that they were surprised at this outcome (the amount of time infants spend studying a scene is a well-tested experimental metric for piqued interest). The finding suggests that babies understand conflicting goals and social dominance, even though they cannot talk or actively fight. Whether because of some innate sense that size matters or because of experiences such as an older sibling taking their toys, babies know that bigger people often get what they want.

Infants Know That "Might Makes Right": Scientific American

 

[Mr. H.]

Based on your quoted text, it sounds to me more like an exercise in congenial deference.
One block bows and steps aside.