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August 21, 2025Open Access

Children's Evaluations and Expectations of Forgiveness Following Second‐ and Third‐Party Interventions

AMAbigail McLaughlinBoston College JMJulia MarshallBoston College ISIsabela Gonzalez‐Rubio SaabBoston College

Key Points

Children's expectations of forgiveness depend significantly on who intervenes and how, showing complex dynamics at play.
In two studies involving 302 children aged 5 to 9, evaluations of intervention strategies varied according to the intervener's role and type of intervention.
Types of interventions tested included compensation, punishment, pardoning, or doing nothing, highlighting important differences in approaches.
Findings may influence understanding of justice and forgiveness dynamics in childhood, emphasizing the role of intervention types.

Abstract

ABSTRACT Following a transgression, forgiveness can restore power imbalances and repair damaged bonds, helping maintain important relationships. Yet, we know little about which kinds of responses to transgression best foster forgiveness. Across two studies, with 5‐ to 9‐year‐olds in the United States ( N = 302; 159 female, 64.2% White, tested in 2022 and 2023), we explore children's evaluations of intervention strategies and their expectations of forgiveness by victims. Our key manipulations were intervention type (compensation, punishment, pardoning, or doing nothing) and intervener role (authority figure, peer, or victim responder; Study 2 only). Our findings show that children's expectations of forgiveness and evaluations depend on who intervenes and how , shedding new light on the relationship between justice‐oriented interventions and forgiveness in childhood.

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