Submitted by: Kiley Hamlin
Research with babies suggests that the roots of compassion, empathy and moral reasoning might be in place from birth. Where does this moral sense come from? Although developmental psychologists traditionally explore morality from a learning and development perspective, some aspects of the human moral sense may be built-in. I’m exploring this idea through a recent body of research with infants and toddlers. The research reveals surprisingly sophisticated and flexible moral behaviour and evaluation in young babies whose opportunity for moral learning is limited. Although this work itself is in its infancy, it supports theoretical claims that human morality is a core aspect of human nature.