Do you care more about beetles or sick people? Your answer likely depends on your age, since your moral compass gradually shifts from early childhood to adulthood.
As we get older, we increasingly value other human beings over plants, animals and inanimate objects, according to research led by at the University of Queensland.
Her team showed 24 pictures to 151 children aged between 4 and 10 and asked them to place the ones they cared about most in an inner circle, those they cared about a little in a middle circle, and those they didn’t care about at all in an outer circle.
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All age groups placed pictures of their mum and best friend in the inner circle, but there were differences in how younger and older children rated other humans.
For example, 4-year-olds tended to care less about teachers and policemen than they did about dogs, monkeys, and rosebushes. They showed even less interest in sick people, rating them lower than beetles, plates and shoes.
Building empathy
In contrast, 10-year-olds tended to care more about a range of humans, particularly sick and disabled ones. This is more in line with the moral values of adults, which have been tested in previous studies.
“There are a lot of mechanisms at play here, but it is probably because we instinctively value ourselves and others like us,” says Neldner. As we get older, we become more aware of the distinctions between humans and other animals, she says.
Children may care less about sick people because they haven’t yet grasped the concept of pain, says Neldner. As we get older, our own experiences of sickness and pain help build empathy towards others, she says. “We are driven to help or care for sick people because we recognise that we ourselves would want the same treatment,” she says.
Racial bias
Another finding was that children of all ages placed less importance on people from different racial backgrounds. For example, Caucasian children typically placed Chinese people in their outer circles.
The study helps to identify prejudices in children that could potentially be tackled with education, says Neldner. “For example, by emphasising to a child that children from other countries also get scared of monsters or like to play with toys, they begin to recognise that they are similar and are therefore deserving of care,” she says.
Her team is now planning to study whether children’s moral values vary across cultures. “It’s likely that every cultural upbringing will have its own unique influence on our preferences for what we care about,” she says.
PLoS One
