Infants' Understanding of Distributive Fairness as a Test Case for Identifying the Extents and Limits of Infants' Sociomoral Cognition and Behavior

Child Development Perspectives
Jessica A Sommerville

Abstract

In this article, I use infants' sensitivity to distributive fairness as a test case to identify the extents and limits of infants' sociomoral cognition and behavior. Infants' sensitivity to distributive fairness is in some ways commensurate with this understanding in older children and adults; infants expect fair distributions of resources and evaluate others based on their adherence to or violation of fairness norms. Yet these sensitivities also differ in important ways, including that infants do not spontaneously punish unfair individuals. I address questions about the role of experience in infants' development of sociomoral cognition and behavior, and whether infants' moral cognition and behavior are differentiated appropriately (from their social knowledge and behavior) and integrated (across subaspects of morality). I suggest two approaches to move the field forward: investigating processes that contribute to developing sociomoral cognition and behavior, and considering infants' successes and failures in this domain.

References

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Citations

Sep 6, 2018·Journal of Child Language·Laura FranchinLuca Surian
Jan 24, 2020·Developmental Science·Luca Surian, Francesco Margoni
Oct 9, 2018·Frontiers in Psychology·Audun Dahl, Melanie Killen
Oct 5, 2018·Frontiers in Psychology·Kristy Jia Jin LeePeipei Setoh
Mar 25, 2021·Current Directions in Psychological Science·Laura ElenbaasMelanie Killen
Oct 12, 2021·Human Development·Audun DahlTalia Waltzer

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