Quantcast
ZME Science
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    Menu
    Natural Sciences
    Health
    History & Humanities
    Space & Astronomy
    Technology
    Culture
    Resources
    Natural Sciences

    Physics

    • Matter and Energy
    • Quantum Mechanics
    • Thermodynamics

    Chemistry

    • Periodic Table
    • Applied Chemistry
    • Materials
    • Physical Chemistry

    Biology

    • Anatomy
    • Biochemistry
    • Ecology
    • Genetics
    • Microbiology
    • Plants and Fungi

    Geology and Paleontology

    • Planet Earth
    • Earth Dynamics
    • Rocks and Minerals
    • Volcanoes
    • Dinosaurs
    • Fossils

    Animals

    • Mammals
    • Birds
    • Fish
    • Reptiles
    • Amphibians
    • Invertebrates
    • Pets
    • Conservation
    • Animals Facts

    Climate and Weather

    • Climate Change
    • Weather and Atmosphere

    Geography

    Mathematics

    Health
    • Drugs
    • Diseases and Conditions
    • Human Body
    • Mind and Brain
    • Food and Nutrition
    • Wellness
    History & Humanities
    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Economics
    • History
    • People
    • Sociology
    Space & Astronomy
    • The Solar System
    • The Sun
    • The Moon
    • Planets
    • Asteroids, Meteors and Comets
    • Astronomy
    • Astrophysics
    • Cosmology
    • Exoplanets and Alien Life
    • Spaceflight and Exploration
    Technology
    • Computer Science & IT
    • Engineering
    • Inventions
    • Sustainability
    • Renewable Energy
    • Green Living
    Culture
    • Culture and Society
    • Bizarre Stories
    • Lifestyle
    • Art and Music
    • Gaming
    • Books
    • Movies and Shows
    Resources
    • How To
    • Science Careers
    • Metascience
    • Fringe Science
    • Science Experiments
    • School and Study
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Science → Psychology

Toddlers are a bunch of little hypocrites, study finds

Tibi Puiu by Tibi Puiu
March 21, 2013
in Psychology, Studies

If you have really young kids, under three of four years old, you might have noticed just how tricky they can be in their actions – one thing they say, another thing they do. A recent study from University of Michigan puts these discrepancies into a psychological discussion. The researchers’ findings surprisingly show that children as young as three, despite knowing that they should share, don’t practice what they preach until they turn seven years-old.

children-not-sharing What a child thinks they should do, what they would do and what they actually do are all questions that have been asked and discussed by psychologists for some time now, but the present study is really enlightening in terms of child hypocrisy. The findings might add weight or disprove current theories that discuss the formation of morality and consciousness.

For the study, the researchers gave 102 children aged three to eight years four stickers and asked them how they should device them with other children.

“Children as young as three were very clear that, if all were equally deserving, they and others should share half,”   Dr Craig Smith from the University of Michigan said.

Very thoughtful of them, bless their pure little hearts. They actual behavior was quite different, however: the three year-olds kept most stickers for themselves, despite knowing and stating earlier that they should share. In wasn’t until they got older that these stickers were divided fairly.

What’s interesting to find out at this moment is not necessarily why the younger toddlers were hypocrites, but why the older ones were more socially abiding and thoughtful of their fellow peers.

“It looks as if children increasingly realise they should not just preach but act accordingly,” says co-author Professor Paul Harris of Harvard Graduate School of Education.

“Essentially, they start seeing themselves as moral agents.”

Previous studies have shown that, as they age, children gain a stronger power to inhibit their own actions, but that’s not to say that the young toddlers were simply overwhelmed by  “last-minute failure of willpower”, nor that the older children were compelled to keep the stickers for themselves but resisted the temptation because of their superior sense of restrain.

[RELATED] Babies have a sense of justice from as early as three months-old

Smith says the children begin to place more and more importance on this sharing norm out of an increase sense of morality: “With increasing age, the sharing standard that all children endorsed seemed to carry more weight.”

The study was detailed in a paper published in the journal PLOS One.

Was this helpful?


Thanks for your feedback!

Related posts:
  1. We dislike hypocrites because they deceive us, not because they do things they disapprove of
  2. How language affects the way toddlers learn to count
  3. Toddlers prefer high-status winners — but avoid bullies who win by force
  4. SpongeBob helps scientists understand how toddlers think
  5. TV has a negative long term impact on toddlers
Tags: childrenmorality

ADVERTISEMENT
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
  • Reviews
  • More
  • About Us

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

Don’t you want to get smarter every day?

YES, sign me up!

Over 35,000 subscribers can’t be wrong. Don’t worry, we never spam. By signing up you agree to our privacy policy.

✕
ZME Science News

FREE
VIEW