Yee Kathryn M, Raz Kate Luken, Sims Riley N, Killen Melanie
Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD USA.
Soc Psychol Educ. 2025;28(1):156. doi: 10.1007/s11218-025-10117-6. Epub 2025 Aug 7.
This study examined how children's moral reasoning in response to intergroup exclusion scenarios relates to inclusive attitudes and behaviors. A sample of 528 students ( = 9.19, = 0.90; 264 girls) in third through fifth grade participated in the (DIY) program, which provided structured opportunities for moral reasoning through varied intergroup scenarios and peer discussions. Results showed that more frequent use of moral reasoning predicted greater inclusivity across multiple measures. Children who engaged in higher levels of moral reasoning demonstrated more negative evaluations of exclusion, greater empathy toward peers from multiple racial groups, and a stronger desire to play with those peers. However, moral reasoning was not significantly associated with expectations for inclusion or with attitudes toward boys or girls. No significant interactions emerged between moral reasoning and participant demographics (race, gender, grade), suggesting broadly applicable effects. These findings highlight moral reasoning as a key mechanism for promoting inclusive orientations in childhood, particularly in contexts involving racial diversity. Future research should explore how moral reasoning interacts with other factors, such as empathy, perspective-taking, and group norms, to support inclusivity across social contexts.
本研究考察了儿童在应对群体间排斥情境时的道德推理如何与包容态度及行为相关联。528名三至五年级学生（平均年龄=9.19，标准差=0.90；264名女生）参与了“设计你自己”（DIY）项目，该项目通过各种群体间情境和同伴讨论为道德推理提供了结构化机会。结果表明，更频繁地运用道德推理在多项指标上预示着更高的包容性。进行更高水平道德推理的儿童对排斥表现出更多负面评价，对来自多个种族群体的同伴更具同理心，并且更渴望与那些同伴玩耍。然而，道德推理与对包容的期望或对男孩或女孩的态度没有显著关联。道德推理与参与者的人口统计学特征（种族、性别、年级）之间未出现显著交互作用，表明其影响具有广泛适用性。这些发现凸显了道德推理是促进儿童期包容取向的关键机制，尤其是在涉及种族多样性的情境中。未来研究应探讨道德推理如何与其他因素（如同理心、换位思考和群体规范）相互作用，以支持跨社会情境的包容性。
