The role of theory of mind, group norms and intentionality in children's and adolescents' moral evaluations of a misinformer.

Abstract

Misinformation poses a significant threat to modern society. Children and adolescents, highly active on social media, are particularly vulnerable to encountering misinformation from peers. Assessing whether intentionality impacts moral evaluations of misinformers, considering age and group norms, is crucial. Theory of Mind (ToM) plays a key role in understanding false beliefs and intentions. In a study involving 266 UK-based children (8-11-years-old) and adolescents (12-15-years-old), participants evaluated a misinformer in a scenario involving a school competition. Deliberate misinformation led to harsher judgements and a higher likelihood of punishment. However, children tended to be more inclusive than adolescents regardless of intentionality. Adolescents with higher ToM believed in the misinformation less. Higher ToM correlated with harsher misinformer evaluations across the sample. These findings underscore the impact of intentionality, ToM and age on moral evaluations, suggesting that high ToM may mitigate positive feelings towards misinformers, potentially reducing misinformation acceptance.