You get what you give: children's karmic bargaining

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Cognitive Science
• Moral Psychology

Background:

• Belief in karma, where life events reward or punish moral behavior, is widespread.
• Understanding the origins of such beliefs in early childhood is crucial for developmental studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether young children (4-6 years old) believe in karma.
• To examine children's willingness to engage in 'karmic bargaining'—performing good deeds for future rewards.

Main Methods:

• Three experiments were conducted with 4-6-year-old children.
• Children's beliefs about the link between moral behavior and desired outcomes were assessed.
• Children's engagement in karmic bargaining was observed.

Main Results:

• Most children believed that performing morally good social behaviors, unlike negative or neutral non-social behaviors, could lead to desired future outcomes.
• This belief extended to both first-party and third-party scenarios.
• Approximately half of the children actively participated in karmic bargaining.

Conclusions:

• Children as young as 4-6 years old demonstrate a belief in karma.
• This belief may stem from an early-emerging teleological bias, interpreting events through agency, purpose, and design.
• Findings shed light on the developmental roots of supernatural beliefs and moral reasoning.