Gossip is a common social activity that children admit to engaging in. Although children disapprove of negative gossip (Kuttler, Parker, & La Greca, 2002, Merrill‐Palmer Quarterly, 48, 105), less is known about how it is perceived morally compared to positive gossip and how this changes developmentally as children enter adolescence. Interestingly, misbehaviours are evaluated differently depending on who commits the act and whom it targets (Slomkowski & Killen, 1992, International Journal of Behavioral Development, 15, 247), but this has not been examined in the context of gossip. This study examined children’s moral evaluations of negative and positive valence gossip and how this changed depending on the listener’s relationship to the sharer and target. Children (N = 134, ages 8–16) completed vignettes, evaluating the sharer’s action from the listener’s perspective, a 2 (valence: negative/positive) × 4 (relationship type: friend/unfamiliar classmate of the sharer and target) design. Additionally, the gossip topic was about the target’s behaviour with consequences for him/herself or another (target behaviour type: individual/relational vignettes). The main findings revealed that negative gossip in the sharer–classmate, target–friend condition was rated most negatively. Furthermore, in the individual vignettes condition, positive gossip in the sharer–friend, target–friend condition was rated more negatively than the sharer–classmate, target–friend condition. Girls rated negative gossip more negatively than boys, and adolescents rated gossip more positively than children. Overall, this research allows us to better understand when gossip is viewed as acceptable or unacceptable during an important developmental period.

中文翻译：

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闲聊什么时候出错？价位和人际关系对儿童八卦道德评价的影响。

八卦是孩子们认可的一种常见的社会活动。尽管孩子们不赞成消极的八卦（Kuttler，Parker和La Greca，2002年，《美林-巴尔默季刊》，第48、105页），但人们对其认知在道德上的比较却知之甚少积极的八卦，以及随着孩子进入青春期，这会如何发展。有趣的是，对不当行为的评估方式不同，具体取决于谁实施了该行为以及针对谁（Slomkowski＆Killen，1992，国际行为发展杂志， 15，247 ），但这尚未在八卦中得到检验。这项研究检查了儿童对负价和正价八卦的道德评价，以及这种变化如何改变，具体取决于听众与分享者和目标对象的关系。儿童（N = 134，年龄在8-16岁）完成了渐晕，从听众的角度评估了共享者的行为，即2（价：消极/积极）×4（关系类型：共享者和目标的朋友/陌生同学）的设计。此外，八卦话题还涉及目标的行为，对他/她自己或其他人有影响（目标行为类型：个人/关系渐晕）。主要发现表明，在分享者，同学，目标对象，朋友的闲话中，负面八卦的评分最高。此外，在个人小插曲情况下，共享者-朋友，目标-朋友条件下的八卦积极性比共享者-同学，目标-朋友条件下的负面评价更高。女孩对八卦的负面评价高于男孩，青少年对八卦的评价高于对儿童的评价。总体，