Distinctions between moral and conventional judgments from early to middle childhood: A meta-analysis of social domain theory research.

Abstract

Understanding distinctions between morality and conventions is an important milestone in children’s moral development. The current meta-analysis integrated decades of social domain theory research (Smetana, 2006; Turiel, 1983) on moral and conventional judgments from early to middle childhood. We examined 95 effect sizes from 18 studies (2,707 children; Mage = 7.30 years; 51% females; 42% Whites). Along with these, effects from additional 28 studies were estimated with imputed correlations in a secondary analysis of 248 effect sizes from 46 studies (4,469 children; Mage = 7.34 years; 46% females; 32% Whites). Across all judgments, moral/conventional distinction effects were significant, positive, and moderate. Consistent with social domain theory definitions of morality, children evaluated moral transgressions as more wrong independent of authorities’ commands or rules than conventional transgressions and moral rules as more generalizable and inalterable than conventional rules. Moral transgressions also were seen as more unacceptable and more deserving of punishment than conventional transgressions. The aggregated effects were also significant for each type of judgment. However, effects were stronger for criteria considered definitional of the domains than for acceptability or punishment judgments, which are not considered criteria. Moreover, children made greater domain distinctions with age across all types of judgments. When examined separately, age moderated effects only for criterion judgments, not for acceptability or punishment judgments. Effects for distinctions also were moderated by the types of moral and conventional rules assessed. Thus, moral/conventional distinctions were found across early and middle childhood, but there was variability in children’s developing understanding.

How Do Non-Black U.S. College Students Think They Would Feel After Committing a Race-Related Interpersonal Transgression?

“…Similarly, research based on social domain theory has found that as children age, they become more able to consider contextual factors such as intentions and mitigating circumstances in judging whether an interpersonal transgression was morally wrong and whether the transgressor had a right to act the way they did (e.g., Nucci et al, 2017). Taken together, this work suggests that individuals' propensity to consider the social context in determining whether their own actions constitute an interpersonal transgression increases with age (Yoo & Smetana, 2022).…”

Descriptive Norms Influence Children's Injunctive and Moral Norm Beliefs

“…While past work suggests there is a close relation between descriptive and injunctive norms, the strength of that relation might vary depending on the kind of behavior in question. There is now a sizeable body of work on social domain theory which finds an important distinction between moral norms, which are universally applied and obligatory, and social conventional norms, which are perceived as subjective and alterable, finding that by age 4 children start to consistently differentiate between these behaviors (Killen et al, 2006;Smetana, 2013;Yoo & Smetana, 2022). Indeed, recent work with adults suggests that the effect of descriptive norms on injunctive norm beliefs varies depending on the kind of norm, such that people are generally less sensitive to descriptive norms for harm behaviors than conventional or fairness behaviors (Deutchman et al, preprint).…”

“…Social norms are a foundational part of human societies and pervade nearly every aspect of social life-from how we eat and dress to how we share resources. A large body of work has found that children and adults acquire, conform, and enforce social norms across a diverse range of contexts and behaviors, including social conventions (Song et al, 1987;Yoo & Smetana, 2022), moral behaviors (Vaish et al, 2011;Yucel & Vaish, 2018), sharing resources (House, 2018;McAuliffe et al, 2017;McQuire et al, 2018), and playing games (Diesendruck & Markson, 2011;Kanngiesser et al, 2022;Langenhoff et al, 2022;Rakoczy et al, 2008). How are we able to acquire these different kinds of norms?…”

Children’s Perspectives on Fairness and Inclusivity in the Classroom

“…Children are capable of critically evaluating teachers' actions, such as when they punish the group for the misdeeds of one child (Piaget, 1932(Piaget, /1965 or condone acts of moral transgressions, such as inflicting harm on another person (Smetana et al, 2012). As well, children recognize the domains of student behavior that fall within and without a teacher's legitimate authority (Guerrero et al, 2017;Smetana & Bitz, 1996;Yoo & Smetana, 2022). In general, children view moral judgments as obligations that apply across scenarios, not as a matter of consensus, nor as under authority jurisdiction (Turiel, 1983(Turiel, , 2002.…”