Children consider what others did not know as well as what they could not do when judging their actions.

Shalini Gautam; J Zhang; Katherine McAuliffe

doi:10.1037/dev0002200

June 8, 2026Developmental Psychology

Children consider what others did not know as well as what they could not do when judging their actions.

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Key Points

To explore how children judge actions based on knowledge and choice in fictional scenarios.
Participants included children aged 5 to 10 from multiple countries.
Children listened to stories involving characters with different choices and knowledge regarding their actions.
Judgment assessments evaluated children's moral reasoning based on the outcomes of the characters' actions.
Children were more lenient toward characters who acted without knowledge of alternatives.
Judgments varied by whether characters had a choice or were unaware of their options.
Findings suggest that children's moral reasoning incorporates both knowledge and agency.

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Implication

Examines children's judgment of actions based on knowledge and choice in character stories, suggesting complex moral reasoning.

Abstract

= 146) aged between 5 and 10. We told children stories about three characters who either (a) had a choice and caused a bad outcome, (b) had no choice but to cause a bad outcome, or (c) do not know they had a choice and caused a bad outcome. Broadly, we find that children across all countries are more lenient of bad actions when characters in the story did not know they had another choice available. Overall, these findings provide evidence that children consider what others did not know, as well as what they could not do, when judging their actions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

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Gautam et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a28fe9f6f82f25be989bdee https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0002200

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Children consider what others did not know as well as what they could not do when judging their actions.

Key Points

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Implication

Abstract

Discussion

Cite This Study

Children consider what others did not know as well as what they could not do when judging their actions.

Key Points

Ask about this paper

Implication

Abstract

Discussion

Cite This Study

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