Research Examining Infant Moral Choices: Replication and Extension

Recent studies (e.g., Hamlin & Wynn, 2011; Hamlin, Wynn, & Bloom, 2007) suggest that infants possess an unlearned sense of morality. While their findings are interesting, no independent replications have been published, and use of group designs with a single measure of choice may inflate the probability of obtaining these results. The purpose of the current pilot investigation was to replicate Hamlin and Wynn (2011), and extend it utilizing a single subject design with repeated measures of choice. Infants (n = 3, ages 3-24 months) viewed a puppet show as described in Hamlin and Wynn (2011). Following the puppet show, an experimenter blind to the identities of the puppets asked the infant to choose a puppet. This occurred five times in contrast to the single choice in Hamlin and Wynn (2011). Results of the single choice measure were similar to Hamlin and Wynn (2011), with two of three infants (67%) choosing the helper puppet. However, the results of the repeated measures suggest a side preference for two of three infants, and no infant selected the same character on any consecutive choice trials. A more extensive examination will be conducted utilizing a larger sample size, similar to Hamlin and Wynn (2011)