Museum of Science, Boston

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Children's Social Reasoning

Some cognitive scientists study children in order to develop a better sense of how children perceive other people and how this might affect their interactions in the social world.

Moral Stories

How do kids tell right from wrong?

Have you ever reprimanded your child, only to hear them say, “But I didn’t mean to!” ? Understanding when we are responsible for accidents and when we are not is an important part of child development. This study asks: How do children judge accidental behavior?

We read stories to kids aged 4-8 and ask them what they think about the characters. In some stories the character tries to do a good thing but accidentally does a bad thing, while in other stories just the opposite happens: the character tries to do a bad thing but accidentally does a good thing.

We are interested in learning how children make judgments about who was a “bad” boy or girl, and comparing this to who deserves more punishment. Studies have shown that adults are more likely to judge who is good or bad on the basis of what they meant to do (intentions), while they judge who deserves more punishment on the basis of what actually happens (consequences).

Our results thus far show young children are more likely to make judgments on the basis of consequences than on intentions. As children get older, they make judgments about who is a “bad boy/girl” on the basis of intentions. It takes children longer to learn to use intentions for judgments of deserved punishment. This study may help adults understand how children’s moral reasoning develops as they grow.

Learn about other research related to Children's Social Reasoning.

This research is conducted by the Laboratory for Developmental Studies

Try it at the Museum

Create a domino run!

Make a domino run, or similar structure, with your child on the second floor of the Discovery Center. Children smile with delight as they watch the dominoes fall down and make a crashing noise.

What happens if your child accidentally drops the dominoes of another child before s/he is ready to make them go? Does your child explain his/her intentions to avoid chastisement?

    If a different boy/girl does the same thing, does your child focus more on their intention, or the consequence of the fallen domino run?

    Try it at Home

    Playing by the Rules

    All children love to play games such as tag, hide-and-seek, and hopscotch. Watch your child and his/her peers play one of these games, and observe what rules they create and follow as they play.

    What happens if one child does not follow the rules of the game? Can your child tell when a rule is broken by accident or on purpose?

    If one child breaks a rule, is s/he kicked out of the game as punishment, or allowed to keep playing based on his/her intentions and consequences?