Socio-moral expectations in infants and toddlers

He, Zijing

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/26335 Copy

Description

Title

Socio-moral expectations in infants and toddlers

Author(s)

He, Zijing

Issue Date

2011-08-26T15:23:27Z

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Baillargeon, Renée

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Baillargeon, Renée

Committee Member(s)

• Cohen, Dov
• Fisher, Cynthia L.
• Hong, Ying-Yi
• Miller, Peggy J.
• Roisman, Glenn I.

Department of Study

Psychology

Discipline

Psychology

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

• social cognition
• social norms
• moral development
• infants
• toddlers

Abstract

The present research explored whether infants and toddlers would have early expectations of socio-moral norms. In particular, we asked whether and how children’s expectations about reciprocity would be modulated by considerations of ingroup loyalty. Chapter 2 focused on the idea of “escalation” and provided evidence that infants expect an individual to retaliate more severely against an outgroup member than against an ingroup member. Chapter 3 focused on the idea of “co-retaliation” and suggested that both infants and toddlers expect an individual to retaliate against an outgroup member who had previously hindered the individual’s group member. Chapter 4 focused on the idea of “privilege” and showed that toddlers expect an individual to act more positively in response to a friendly overture by an ingroup member than by an outgroup member. Experiments described in this dissertation provide converging evidence that infants and toddlers have rudimentary socio-moral expectations about actions and interactions within social contexts; they are sensitive to various markers of social groups; and their expectations of reciprocity are modulated by considerations of ingroup loyalty. These socio-moral expectations emerge early in life and are likely to be based on a small set of innate socio-moral principles.

Graduation Semester

2011-08

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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/26335

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2011 Zijing He

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