Moral Pride Promotes Honesty in Preschoolers
Saved in:
| Title: | Moral Pride Promotes Honesty in Preschoolers |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Fengling Ma (ORCID |
| Source: | Developmental Psychology. 2026 62(6):1229-1235. |
| Availability: | American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 7 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Preschool Children, Ethics, Psychological Patterns, Foreign Countries, Age Differences, Child Development |
| Geographic Terms: | China |
| DOI: | 10.1037/dev0002106 |
| ISSN: | 0012-1649 1939-0599 |
| Abstract: | The present study investigated the role of pride in promoting honesty among children aged 3-6. Children (N = 247; 125 boys, 122 girls; middle-income Chinese families) participated in a temptation resistance paradigm, instructing them not to peek at a toy when unsupervised. Subsequently, children were randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions: a moral pride condition, induced through a compliance task; a nonmoral pride condition, induced through a success task; a happiness condition, induced through exposure to a comedy video; or a baseline condition, with no emotion induction. Children in the moral pride condition were significantly less likely to lie about peeking than those in the other three conditions. The nonmoral pride and happiness conditions did not differ in lying rates from the baseline condition. These results suggest that fostering moral pride can enhance honesty in young children, offering important insights for parenting and educational practices. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Notes: | https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/85E6W |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1505556 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | The present study investigated the role of pride in promoting honesty among children aged 3-6. Children (N = 247; 125 boys, 122 girls; middle-income Chinese families) participated in a temptation resistance paradigm, instructing them not to peek at a toy when unsupervised. Subsequently, children were randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions: a moral pride condition, induced through a compliance task; a nonmoral pride condition, induced through a success task; a happiness condition, induced through exposure to a comedy video; or a baseline condition, with no emotion induction. Children in the moral pride condition were significantly less likely to lie about peeking than those in the other three conditions. The nonmoral pride and happiness conditions did not differ in lying rates from the baseline condition. These results suggest that fostering moral pride can enhance honesty in young children, offering important insights for parenting and educational practices. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0012-1649 1939-0599 |
| DOI: | 10.1037/dev0002106 |
