Effects of Age of Actor and Observer on the Moral Judgments of Children

Abstract

Summary This experiment focused on the interaction of variables thought to influence children's assignment of praise or blame in moral judgment situations. Three discrete stories, which experimentally varied the age, intentions, and outcomes of three hypothetical children, were read to each S (N = 144 boys and girls in kindergarten and third and sixth grades). The magnitude of rewards or punishments assigned by Ss to the actors was the dependent measure. The results strongly supported the hypothesized inverse relationship between observer age and reliance on outcome information; however, increasing reliance on intentional information with increasing child age was not found. Regardless of the age of the observing child, same-aged actors were judged more leniently than younger or older actors when destructive outcomes were produced with good intentions. Moreover, leniency was detected in judgments of younger actors who produced destructive acts with bad intentions. These results correspond with findings on ...