Year: 2024
Type: article
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.
Source: Child Development
DOI: 10.1111/cdev.14200
Authors: Daniel Yonas, Larisa Heiphetz Solomon
Institution: Columbia University
Language: English
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4404827205