A Glimpse into Moral Judgment

Ethical dilemmas play a crucial role in our lives and warrant extensive discussion. Yet, given the complexities of our world today, let's briefly explore this topic.

Our reality is characterized by dualities—love/hate, light/dark, right/left—each existing on a continuum of extremes. The notions of "right and wrong" also fit this framework; a society cannot function without them. These notions can vary greatly across different cultures, leading many experts to believe that morals are solely learned behaviors designed to regulate larger groups of individuals.

However, recent research suggests that humans are not the only species exhibiting moral behaviors. Studies have revealed that primates, rats, and even ants display signs of moral judgment, indicating a more profound, possibly innate, understanding of social dynamics seen in various animals, including whales, dolphins, elephants, and dogs.

This raises the question: when do we begin to form our moral judgments?

The Early Signs of Morality

In 2013, Yale psychologist Paul Bloom published a book titled Just Babies, which argues that infants show signs of empathy and compassion shortly after birth. By the age of 2 to 3 months, infants can track moving objects, and by 5 to 8 months, their depth perception and object recognition capabilities significantly improve.

Researchers employed eye-tracking techniques to study infants in these age ranges while they observed animated interactions between characters. For instance, one character may exhibit aggression towards another, and the researchers would monitor which character the infant focused on.

Bloom's findings revealed that even infants as young as 3 months respond differently to characters that help versus those that hinder others, suggesting that moral judgment may have early developmental roots.

However, we must tread carefully in interpreting these behaviors, as it is challenging to ascertain the infants' internal thought processes. Further research on slightly older infants (5 to 8 months) could help clarify these findings.

Morality or Survival?

A study published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2011 examined infants aged 5 to 8 months using eye-tracking technology. The results demonstrated that while 5-month-olds generally favored characters that acted positively, 8-month-olds showed a more nuanced understanding, preferring characters that were prosocial while disfavoring antisocial ones.

The researchers continued their investigation into toddler behaviors and found that these preferences persisted. By the study's conclusion, they suggested that early developmental stages shape our subtle social judgments about whom we engage with or avoid.

Yet, we must question whether infants' reactions stem from moral reasoning or instinctual survival tendencies. It seems plausible that we are born with an innate awareness linking aggression to danger.

New Research Perspectives

Researchers from Osaka University, in collaboration with Otsuma Women’s University and NTT Communication Science Laboratories, sought to deepen our understanding of infant decision-making. They utilized an interactive computer system where infants could influence characters on the screen with their gaze.

Initially, 8-month-olds were introduced to the system, learning that focusing on a geometric figure could lead to its destruction. In subsequent videos, one geometric figure appeared to harm another, and the researchers observed which character the infants chose to "punish."

Most infants opted to target the aggressor, leading to a series of five experiments published in the June 2022 edition of Nature. The first experiment indicated that infants selectively focused more on the aggressor, suggesting an intent to punish.

The following three experiments controlled for potential biases, ruling out interpretations that might misrepresent the infants' motivations. Ultimately, the researchers concluded that infants as young as eight months demonstrate a propensity for third-party punishment, indicating that these inclinations emerge much earlier than previously thought.

Implications for Humanity

If these findings are indeed accurate, what do they imply for humanity? The intrinsic desire to punish those who harm us or others is potentially more than a set of social constructs; it may be a fundamental aspect of our being.

Katrina Paulson reflects on the complexities of humanity, exploring unanswerable questions and ongoing discoveries. She shares her insights through her writings on Medium and in her newsletters, the free Curious Adventure Newsletter and the more detailed Curious Life. Subscribing provides access to her articles and an extensive archive, supporting her efforts to pursue her curiosities and share them with her readers.

The first video title is "Can Babies Tell Right From Wrong?" which explores how babies exhibit moral understanding at a young age.

The second video title is "Born good? Babies help unlock the origins of morality," delving into the research surrounding infants' moral behaviors.