On what side of the moral compass does the little one in your life lie? They say the eyes don’t lie, but could our natural safeguards for intuition be deceived by their large eyes and needy cooing?
Paul Bloom, a psychology professor at Yale University, teamed up with his colleagues and wife, Professor Karen Wynn, at the Yale Cognition Center, to understand whether the young mind can differentiate between the ideals of right and wrong. They did this through several experiments
Experiment 1: Hill Paradigm
Professor Bloom’s team set the stage. The first experiment was set against a green backdrop. A steep hill that a puppet is set to cross. They would either gain assistance, getting a gentle nudge from the supporting character. While the second would bring the protagonist down. Blocking the path uphill and bearing down on the puppet as it ascended.
Experiment 2: Ball Experiment
This test involves three characters and a ball. The focal puppet leisurely dribbles a ball and drops it by happenstance. In the first instance, one of the furry puppets may choose to pick the ball and hand it to its rightful owner; or, consequently, the other might swipe the ball and whisk it away off stage.
Experiment 3: Box Experiment
The final test involved a box that the main puppet had much difficulty opening. Struggling with a latch, something that all the babies picked up. One of the puppets aids, while the other does not.
The experiments are repeated over a period of time. Till the nonverbal message is clear. After which, they are presented with the option of choosing between the ‘helpful’ and ‘harmful’ puppet. A larger sample number chose to stick with the good Samaritan. Showing aversion to the colder puppet.
What Can We Learn from This?
What does that say about the rest of the remaining sample? Could it be chalked down to a simple margin error or is it something deeper?
It is this same moral instinct that chooses biases for the children. When they are presented with puppets, each holding snacks – in this case, Cheerios over graham crackers. One they prefer and another they’re impartial about. They tend to gravitate towards the puppet they have something in common with and wish harm on the other. While appraising those with similar tastes to them. A trait that survives well into adulthood.
