Will Children Use Others' Testimony When Making a Decision in a Moral Context?

• In Event: Poster Session 12
  In Poster Session: New Directions for Research in Moral Development and Moral Education

Abstract

Studies have shown that children trust an opinion endorsed by three people over an opinion endorsed by one person (Chen, Corriveau, & Harris, 2013). However, the extent to which these patterns generalize to moral contexts is not known. In this study, 3-8 year-old participants (N = 227) evaluated a situation where a group excluded one peer due to race. Before making their judgment, participants heard three children’s opinion versus one adult’s opinion (e.g. “these children think it is not okay to exclude. This adult thinks it is okay to exclude”), which were counter-balanced. Findings showed that most children (90.3%) thought this was “not okay” (p < .001) regardless of other’s testimony. Further, negative evaluations increased with age (p < .05).

Authors

• Jeeyoung Noh, University of Maryland - College Park

• Laura Elenbaas, University of Maryland - College Park

• Melanie Killen, University of Maryland - College Park