Journal
CURRENT DIRECTIONS IN PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE
Volume 27, Issue 1, Pages 3-8Publisher
SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC
DOI: 10.1177/0963721417734875
Keywords
morality; development; altruism
Categories
Funding
- National Science Foundation [BCS-0715557, BCS-0921515]
- National Institute of Mental Health [R01 MH 081877]
- John Templeton Foundation
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Many scholars draw on evidence from evolutionary biology, behavioral economics, and infant research to argue that humans are noble savages, endowed with indiscriminate kindness. We believe this is mistaken. While there is evidence for an early-emerging moral sense-even infants recognize and favor instances of fairness and kindness among third parties-altruistic behaviors are selective from the start. Babies and young children favor people who have been kind to them in the past and favor familiar individuals over strangers. They hold strong biases for in-group over out-group members and for themselves over others, and indeed are more unequivocally selfish than older children and adults. Much of what is most impressive about adult morality arises not through inborn capacities but through a fraught developmental process that involves exposure to culture and the exercise of rationality.
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