Science

Study: Babies Know What’s Right and Wrong Within Two Years

“He just doesn’t know better” may no longer be a good excuse for poor behavior during the terrible twos or later toddler years anymore. A new study is saying babies begin to know the difference of right and wrong, fair and unfair as young as 15 months old.

The research out of the University of Washington also gained insight into the development of “sharing” personalities.

“These norms of fairness and altruism are more rapidly acquired than we thought,” study researcher Jessica Sommerville, of the University of Washington, said in a statement. “These results also show a connection between fairness and altruism in infants, such that babies who were more sensitive to the fair distribution of food were also more likely to share their preferred toy.”

Unlike previous studies that showed 2 year olds being altruistic by helping others and between the ages of 6 or 7 understanding fairness, Live Science reports this research is revealing these sense as a much earlier age.

How were researchers able to determine this? Not by putting a bunch of 15-month-olds in a room with a bowl of Cheerios but by watching their expressions when they saw just and unjust behavior. When a baby is surprised by something, he or she will stare at it longer. Researchers had babies watch a video of an adult dividing crackers or milk between two other adults. What they found was that babies watched footage of unequal sharing with more intensity.

“The infants expected an equal and fair distribution of food, and they were surprised to see one person given more crackers or milk than the other,” Sommerville said.

The researchers also tested sharing ability by giving the toddler two toys and asking them to share one. A third of the time, the child handed over the toy they were playing with, a third provided the toy they had not chosen to play with and the final third didn’t give up either toy.

Children as Young as 15 Months Old Exhibit Signs of Understanding Altruistic Behavior

A) Baby chooses preferred toy from two options. B) When asked for a toy, "altruistic sharers" provide his or her own preferred toy. (PLoS One/University of Washington)

Comparing these two tests, the researchers found that 92 percent of the babies who shared their preferred toy – called “altruistic sharers” – spent more time looking at the unequal distributions of food. While 86 percent of the babies who shared their less-preferred toy, the “selfish sharers,” were more surprised, and paid more attention, when there was a fair division of food.

“The altruistic sharers were really sensitive to the violation of fairness in the food task,” Sommerville said. Meanwhile, the selfish sharers showed an almost opposite effect, she said.

The researchers are now looking into whether these attributes are innate or learned from parents.

Comments (12)

  • Tronix
    Posted on October 11, 2011 at 9:14pm

    Well, Obama (50 years old) and Holder (60 years old) still can’t notice the difference between right and wrong……and surely, they’ll never do.

    Report Post » Tronix  
  • Mable8
    Posted on October 11, 2011 at 9:04pm

    Sorry, but the research is inconclusive at best and hogwash at worst. These researchers do NOT have enough evidence to claim such a conclusion. Supposing it is accepted that their conclusions are correct and the child does something defined as a crime–are they to be tried as adults because, after all, the infant is able to discern right from wrong? Children grow emotionally, mentally, and physically at different rates and neither is at par with the other until adulthood. Right and wrong are forms of abstract thinking and it has already been proven in prior research that children do not understand abstract thinking until well into their teens (it isn’t even fully developed at age 19 for some young people). Abstract thinking does not even begin until age 12. Learning comes in many stages and there is a purpose behind this. Researchers should just leave the children alone, let them develop naturally, and quit robbing them of their childhood.

    Report Post »  
  • dontbotherme
    Posted on October 11, 2011 at 12:59pm

    My children & grandchildren are absolutely brilliant.

    Report Post »  
  • eddyjames1952
    Posted on October 11, 2011 at 6:48am

    The difference between potential liberals (Stingy ones) and Conservatives (Fair ones)

    Report Post » eddyjames1952  
    • the hawk
      Posted on October 11, 2011 at 10:22am

      Ihate studies like this ,all kids are different I have 5 boys some of the older ones do the dummest crap
      and a couple of the younger ones march right in step with our wishes on their own.Some bring home straight a‘s and some d’s and acouple c’s
      They all have good hearts and compassion !…….And with that theres hope !

      Report Post »  
  • ANewActivist
    Posted on October 11, 2011 at 2:37am

    I’m not surprised by this story because of my own experience with my son when he was less than a year old. He couldn‘t talk yet and I don’t remember if he could even say mommy or daddy yet. I don’t remember what started the episode that I am about to relate but something started it and I discovered what to me at the time was shocking.

    I carried him around the house and asked him to point to different things. I’d ask him “where’s the coffee pot” and he’d point to it. I’d ask “where’s the refrigerator” and he’d point to it. This went on and on. It didn’t matter what I asked him to point to he could do it. I was stunned.

    I’m am absolutely positive that I never carried him around and specifically told him what the coffee pot or the refrigerator or most of the other thing I pointed at was. He had to have learned it by observation and inferrence.

    It’s stunning what little kids have learned and know.

    Any similar stories?

    (Sorry if this double posts… I sure wish they had a spell checker)

    Report Post »  
  • stotlaat
    Posted on October 11, 2011 at 2:37am

    Their intelligence and personality are richly apparent at birth. What they lack is maturity and experience. They’re in the right place to meet serious challenges and earn both!

    Report Post »  
    • Jennifer_D
      Posted on October 11, 2011 at 7:30pm

      Agree with you that personality and intelligence are apparent at birth. There are so many things that factor in as well including attachment and experiences. Children are sponges; ready to absorb every experience!

      Very interesting study!

      Report Post » Jennifer_D  
  • ANewActivist
    Posted on October 11, 2011 at 2:24am

    I’m not surprised by this story because of my own experience with my son when he was less than a year old. He couldn‘t talk yet and I don’t remember if he could even say mommy or daddy yet. I don’t remember what started the episode that I am about to relate but something started it and I discovered what to me at the time was shocking.

    I carried him around the house and asked him to point to different things. I’d ask him “where’s the coffee pot” and he’d point to it. I’d ask “where’s the refridgerator” and he’d point to it. This went on and on. It didn’t matter what I asked him to point to he could do it. I was stunned.

    I’m am absolutely positive that I never carried him around and specifically told him what the coffee pot or the refridgerator or most of the other thing I pointed at was. He had to have learned it by observation and inferrence.

    It’s stunning what little kids have learned and know.

    Any similar stories?

    Report Post »  
    • Chuck Stein
      Posted on October 11, 2011 at 2:04pm

      When my son was under a year old (he couldn’t even walk), he heard his older sister say “I want my blankie” so he climbed upstairs, got her blanket, dragged the blanket down the stairs and gave her the blanket. I love that boy.

      Report Post »  
    • Ford
      Posted on October 11, 2011 at 4:40pm

      I think it’s so neat how babies learn. I taught my third child sign language when she was less than a year old. She caught on very quickly and it was amazing to watch her little hands ask for something. She also learned to talk very early, saying quite a few words at 10 months. No one would believe me until she would say something. I also keep an infant observation guide to see where they are and my now 2 year old functions at a 3 year old level.

      Report Post » Ford  
  • Chuck Stein
    Posted on October 11, 2011 at 2:00am

    Interesting research. My own experience with children is that “the terrible twos” is fiction — it is really “the terrible 18 months.” That is when they know enough about the world and language to know what they want and to understand what adults are saying, but they are unable to express themselves well enough. By the time they are two, they are really very delightful.

    Report Post »  

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