Is helping always morally good? A study with toddlers and preschool children.

• In Event: Young children's moral judgements and prosocial behaviors

Abstract

Studies demonstrate that 18-month-old children help others even if there is no benefit for them (Warneken, Chen, & Tomasello, 2006; Warneken & Tomasello, 2010). Moreover, children of different age prefer prosocial over antisocial individuals (Hamlin, Wynn, & Bloom, 2007; Hamlin & Wynn, 2011; Kuhlmeier, Wynn, & Bloom, 2003). In this paper, we investigated whether children’s disposition to help others is stronger than the aversion to antisocial others.
The study involved 232 children aged 2-7 years old children in three age groups (2-3 years, N = 74; 4-5 years, N = 79; 6-7 years, N = 79). First, we asked children to observe a video of a puppet show in which one of the puppets either asked the target puppet for help in destroying a tower built by someone else (immoral behavior) or asked for help in building a tower (moral behavior). Depending on the research condition, the target puppet either helped or refused to help (anti-social behavior) with the moral or immoral act. Further, we asked children how much they like the target puppet, whether the act of the target puppet was good or bad, and whether they would like to play with the target puppet in the future.
The results showed that children aged from 2 to 4 liked more the target puppet, which helped the antisocial other harm third party than the target puppet which refused to help. Moreover, children judged act helping the antisocial other as good and wanted to play with the target puppet in the future. However, 5-, 6-, and 7-years old children judged helping the antisocial other as wrong and disliked the target puppet.
Presented results suggest that up to 5 years of age, children helping behavior more than normative norms. Therefore, the present study might provide the empirical evidence that young children’s moral sense is dominated by cues indicating cooperation and helping, even if it results in breaking norms and harm others.

Authors

• Katarzyna Myślińska Szarek, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Michigan
  Presenting Author

• Wiesław Baryła, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities
  Non-Presenting Author

• Bogdan Wojciszke, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities
  Non-Presenting Author