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Some scholars argue that punishment communicates information about punished individuals. We extended this theorizing by asking whether laypeople (237 5- to 6-year-olds, 221 7- to 8-year-olds, 220 adults) understand punishment as communicating messages about individuals not directly implicated in punishment-related scenarios and how this understanding might change across development. Three studies asked U.S. 5- to 8-year-olds and adults to indicate the extent to which they believe that adults' incarceration is attributable to their biological relatives. In Study 1, children were more likely than adults to indicate that people grow up to become incarcerated because of an incarcerated biological mother, and these judgments generalized across members of different racial groups. In Study 2, 5- to 6-year-olds, versus 7- to 8-year-olds and adults, more readily predicted that individuals born to an incarcerated mother would have contact with the legal system in the future. Study 3 showed evidence of age-related changes in essentialism using a questionnaire but did not find such evidence in a task that pitted essentialist and non-essentialist explanations against each other, suggesting that 5- to 6-year-olds may view both biological and social factors as important contributors to incarceration. Taken together, these studies highlight the importance of social learning and cognitive development in shaping reasoning about punishment’s messages.
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Age-related changes in information-seeking behavior about morally relevant events
Abstract With age, people increasingly emphasize intent when judging transgressions. However, people often lack information about intent in everyday settings; further, they may wonder about reasons underlying pro-social acts. Three studies investigated 4-to-6-year-olds', 7-to-9-year-olds', and adults' (data collected 2020–2022 in the northeastern United States, total n = 669, ~50% female, predominantly White) desire for information about why behaviors occurred. In Study 1, older children and adults exhibited more curiosity about transgressions versus pro-social behaviors (ds = 0.52–0.63). Younger children showed weaker preferences to learn about transgressions versus pro-social behaviors than did older participants (d = 0.12). Older children's emphasis on intent, but not expectation violations, drove age-related differences (Studies 2–3). Older children may target intent-related judgments specifically toward transgressions, and doing so may underlie curiosity about wrongdoing.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2044360
- PAR ID:
- 10658694
- Publisher / Repository:
- Oxford University Press
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Child Development
- Volume:
- 96
- Issue:
- 2
- ISSN:
- 0009-3920
- Format(s):
- Medium: X Size: p. 705-720
- Size(s):
- p. 705-720
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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