Children can make moral judgments just like adults

LONDON, Sept 25:
Young child rem can make adult-like moral judgements from the age of four, according to a new study which suggests that the ability has often been underestimated in young kids.
The researchers from the University of East Anglia (UEA) in the UK, conducted the study involving 138 children aged four to eight years old, and 31 adults.
When making moral judgements, adults tend to focus on people’s intentions rather than on the outcomes of their actions – hurting someone intentionally is much worse than hurting them accidentally. However, the prevailing view in developmental psychology is that younger children’s moral judgements are mainly based on the outcomes of actions, rather than the intentions of those involved. Despite decades of research there is still disagreement about whether this claim is correct.
To address this, researchers led by Gavin Nobes of UEA’s School of Psychology looked at the reasons for the findings of two of the most influential and frequently cited studies – published in 1996 and 2001 – both of which provide strong evidence that young children’s moral judgements are mainly outcome-based. (PTI)