Temperamento e attaccamento nell'acquisizione dei precursori morali: alcuni dati preliminari

Objective: This study investigates early moral precursors in a sample of 12-24 month olds. The first goal of the study was to test participants’ preference for individuals who act prosocially toward unrelated third parties over individuals who act antisocially. We also investigated the influence of temperamental characteristics and attachment models in the shaping up of moral precursors. Methods: Sample: 25 infants (M=13, F=12) aged 12 to 24 months, attending kindergarten. Measures: prosocial-antisocial choice procedure (Wynn e Hamlin, 2011); Early Child Behavior Questionnaire (Putnam et al., 2006); Attachment Q-Sort (Waters, 1997). Results: 11 infants (M=5, F=6) preferred the prosocial puppet, while 14 (M=8, F=6) preferred the antisocial one. 20 months or less infants preferred the antisocial puppet (N=9) and only one chose the prosocial one. Differently, older infants preferred the prosocial puppet (N=10) over the antisocial one (N=5) reporting 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 Attachment Q-Sort (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: Early preference for individuals who act prosocially toward unrelated third parties over individuals who act antisocially, is only partially confirmed in our study when considering infants younger than 20 months. Older children tend to show a clearer pattern, in that a higher tendency to prefer the prosocial character is associated with “secure” attachment model and higher scores on specific temperamental features. Results highlight the role of temperament and attachment in the shaping up of early moral competence.