By the time kids are five, they’ve already decided that "bad" people don't deserve to be treated with basic kindness.
PsyArXiv · March 13, 2026 · huqk8_v1
Why it matters
This study found that preschoolers perform a 'moral audit' on others, significantly reducing their approval of considerate behavior if the person being helped is a 'bad person.' This suggests that the psychological roots of moral exclusion and the withholding of kindness are hardwired early in development.
From the abstract
Recent research shows that children by age 5 and 6 can evaluate socially mindful actions where one acts in a way that is considerate of another person’s freedom of choice. However, less is known as to whether the evaluation of social mindfulness is selective based on whether the beneficiary is morally good or bad. In this study, we asked 101 4- to 6-year-old children and 78 adults in China to evaluate two characters: one character left a choice for the next person in line (the beneficiary) while