Judgments of a Child Involved in Accidental Damage and Responding Differentially to Adult Reprimand

Abstract

72 first-grade and 72 sixth-grade boys viewed scenes showing a boy involved in accidental damage, then receiving and responding differentially to adult reprimand. Children, having viewed one of the films, recorded their attribution of goodness-badness and also predicted the potential good-bad conduct of the transgressor. Analyses support conclusions, consistent with Piaget's moral judgment theory, that (a) young children perceive an accidental transgressor more negatively than do older children; and (b) young children evaluate responses to reprimand in terms of whether they conform to adult command, whereas older children evaluate those responses in accordance with whether they are congruent with the principle of mutual respect. Piaget's theory requires reconsideration in light of the finding that older children predicted a preponderance of good behaviors for the boy who was shown responding in a manner that can be taken as a violation of the principle of mutual trust.