Good Children Do Not Always Do Good Behavior: Moral Licensing Effects in Preschoolers1, 2, 3

Abstract

Previous research reveals that past moral behavior can promote future moral behavior, or sometimes discourage people's engagement in moral behavior. This is known as the moral licensing effect. Although most previous research on moral licensing has focused on adults, a few studies have also investigated children. The present study investigated moral licensing effects in preschool children. Participants were 47 Japanese preschool children between the ages of 43 and 77 months. We manipulated licensing by inducing participants to experience prosocial behavior. More specifically, we provided participants in the license condition an opportunity to share their resources with another. Then, all participants allocated five stickers to themselves and others in a resource allocation task. The results showed that the children in the license condition were less likely to engage in prosocial behavior than those in the control condition. This is the first study showing that moral licensing effects also occur in children, suggesting that like adults, applying morality for preschool children is flexible with regards to situations and experiences.