Young Children Selectively Avoid Helping People With Harmful Intentions

[Finduilas495]

Dear SOTT editors,

This topic was covered in the German Spiegel Online today, in English I could only find a link to the study itself:

http://www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/mensch/0,1518,729437,00.html

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01500.x/abstract

Two studies investigated whether young children are selectively prosocial toward others, based on the others’ moral behaviors. In Study 1 (N = 54), 3-year-olds watched 1 adult (the actor) harming or helping another adult. Children subsequently helped the harmful actor less often than a third (previously neutral) adult, but helped the helpful and neutral adults equally often. In Study 2 (N = 36), 3-year-olds helped an actor who intended but failed to harm another adult less often than a neutral adult, but helped an accidentally harmful and a neutral adult equally often. Children’s prosocial behavior was thus mediated by the intentions behind the actor’s moral behavior, irrespective of outcome. Children thus selectively avoid helping those who cause—or even intend to cause—others harm.

Apparently the "make nice" program is really nothing but that - societal programming.

 

[Laura]

Excellent find. It also suggests that if pro-social characteristics were promoted (including the exclusion of cheaters and harmers), children might grow up to be quite different that they normally do in our societies.

 

[mada85]

Very interesting. Thanks for posting.

Apparently the "make nice" program is really nothing but that - societal programming.

And then, to make sure your head is a real mess for the rest of your life (they hope!) they make you feel guilty for not 'making nice'.

 

[Atreides]

Very interesting.