Adults often respond negatively toward children with incarcerated parents. Yet, the developmental foundations for such negativity remain unclear. Two studies (N = 331 U.S. residents; plurality White; plurality male; data collected between Winter 2019 and Spring 2021) addressed this topic. Study 1 probed 5- to 6-year-olds' and 7- to 8-year-olds' inferences about peers with and without incarcerated parents. Children reported less certainty that peers with, versus without, incarcerated parents possess moral beliefs. Study 2 showed that among older children, inferences about parental absence did not fully account for this pattern of results. Across studies, children behaved less generously toward peers with, versus without, incarcerated parents. These studies illuminate how early socio-moral judgment may contribute to negativity toward children with incarcerated parents.

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儿童对有和没有被监禁父母的同龄人的社会道德判断和行为

成年人经常对父母被监禁的孩子做出负面反应。然而，这种消极情绪的发展基础仍不清楚。两项研究（N = 331 名美国居民；多个白色；多个男性；2019 年冬季和 2021 年春季之间收集的数据）解决了这个主题。研究 1 探讨了 5 至 6 岁和 7 至 8 岁儿童对有和没有被监禁父母的同龄人的推论。孩子们报告说，有或没有被监禁父母的同龄人拥有道德信仰的确定性较低。研究 2 表明，在年龄较大的儿童中，关于父母缺席的推断并不能完全解释这种结果模式。在所有研究中，孩子们对有或没有被监禁父母的同龄人表现得不那么慷慨。这些研究阐明了早期的社会道德判断如何导致对父母被监禁的儿童产生消极情绪。