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The development of generosity and moral cognition across five cultures
Author(s) -
Cowell Jason M.,
Lee Kang,
MalcolmSmith Susan,
Selcuk Bilge,
Zhou Xinyue,
Decety Jean
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
developmental science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.801
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1467-7687
pISSN - 1363-755X
DOI - 10.1111/desc.12403
Subject(s) - generosity , collectivism , psychology , morality , cognition , moral development , social psychology , individualism , socioeconomic status , developmental psychology , cognitive development , variance (accounting) , sociology , population , philosophy , demography , theology , accounting , neuroscience , political science , law , business
Morality is an evolved aspect of human nature, yet is heavily influenced by cultural environment. This developmental study adopted an integrative approach by combining measures of socioeconomic status ( SES ), executive function, affective sharing, empathic concern, theory of mind, and moral judgment in predicting sharing behavior in children (N = 999) from the age of 5 to 12 in five large‐scale societies: Canada, China, Turkey, South Africa, and the USA . Results demonstrate that age, gender, SES , culture, and social cognitive mechanisms explain over 20% of the variance worldwide in children's resource allocation. These findings are discussed in reference to standard cultural comparisons (individualist/collectivist), as well as the degree of market integration, and highlight continuities and discontinuities in children's generosity across urban contexts.