A Reexamination of the Effects of Intent and Consequence on Children's Moral Judgments

Abstract

COSTANZO, PHILIP R.; COIE, JOHN D.; GRUMET, JUDY F.; and FARNILL, DOUGLAS. A Reexamination of the Effects of Intent and Consequence on Children's Moral Judgments. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1973, 44, 154-161. Effects of intent and consequences on the moral judgments of 3 age groups of children (5--11 years) were measured using 4 stories combining positive and negative intentions and consequences. Subjects made their own judgments and attributed judgments to a story figure who had no access to intent information. The use of intention increased linearly with age for judgments of actors producing negative consequences, while all age groups tended to use intent cues for the positive-consequence stories. Social perspective taking, measured by own versus other rating differences, increased with age for both positiveand negative-consequence conditions. Results were compared with the existing literature on moral judgment which has utilized only negative-consequence paradigms. A socialization explanation was advanced for the differential findings on positive and negative consequences. The social perspectivism findings were discussed in terms of the relationship between role taking and moral judgment skills.