Are Kids as Innocent as We Believe They Are?
The moral fiber of our youth may not be as innocent as we believe it to be. A Yale psychology study reveals how children prioritize between right versus wrong.
FOX’s Alex Hein has more:
This is Housecall for Health.
Often you hear adults marvel over the innocence of children, but a recent study suggests that even little ones will make a deal with the devil if the price is right.
Two psychologists at Yale were interested in finding out the age at which kids will avoid a wrongdoer, even if it comes at a cost to the kids themselves. They knew from previous research that older kids prioritize moral considerations over their own incentives.
They decided to look at the moral dilemma in children both older and younger than age seven. The children were given a choice between a smaller and larger offering. Most of the time, regardless of age, the kids chose a bigger prize.
But this wasn’t always the case…
When the giver of the reward was called a bad guy, the participants took a small prize from a good guy.
Interestingly enough, when the bad guy offered a considerable amount more than the good guy, 67% of the participants sold out to get the bigger prize.
For more on this story, check FOXNewsHealth.com.
Housecall for Health, I’m Alex Hein, FOX News.
