Moral precursors, temperament and attachment in 12-24 months infants

Introduction: Infants assess others based on their social behavior toward third parts and prefer those who behave prosocially over those who behave antisocially (Hamlin & Wynn, 2011). The competence of distinguishing and preferring prosocial agents is part of an early inner system referred to as “moral precursors”. Aims of the study: Our first aim is to verify the preference for individuals who act prosocially toward unrelated third parties over individuals who act antisocially in infants between 12 and 24 months of age. The second aim concerns the influence of temperamental characteristics and of the attachment model on the moral precursors system. Material and methods: Sample: 25 infants (M=13, F=12) between 12 and 24 months, attending kindergarten. Measures: prosocial-antisocial choice procedure (Wynn & Hamlin, 2011); Early Child Behavior Questionnaire (Putnam et al., 2006);Attachment Q-Sort (Waters, 1997) Results: 11 infants (M=5, F=6) prefer prosocial puppet, while 14 (M=8, F=6) prefer the antisocial one. 20 months or less infants prefer the antisocial puppet (N=9) and only one chooses the prosocial one. Older infants prefer the prosocial puppet (N=10) over the antisocial one (N=5) and report higher Attentional focusing (t(23)=1.82, p<0.10) and Cuddliness (t(23)=1.79, p<0.10) temperamental scores, higher scores on the AQS (t(23)=1.21, p<0.10) and less Frustration (t(23)=2.18, p<0.10) and Positive anticipation (t(23)=1.94, p<0.10) temperamental scores compared to younger infants. Conclusions: Results partially confirm Wynn's hypothesis on the early presence of prosocial preference. Younger infants tend not to prefer the prosocial character. Older infants that tend to prefer the prosocial puppet have a secure attachment and, compared to younger infants, have higher scores in some temperamental characteristics. Results highlight the role of temperament in the shaping up of early moral competence.