Heider's foreseeability level of responsibility attribution: does it come after intentionality?

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Moral Reasoning
• Cognitive Development

Background:

• Heider's attribution theory outlines rules for responsibility: commission, intentionality, and foreseeability.
• Foreseeability (Level 3) is conceptually complex, potentially requiring formal operational thought, suggesting later acquisition.
• Prior studies on foreseeability in children may be confounded by intentionality inferences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the developmental acquisition of Heider's foreseeability rule for responsibility attribution.
• To differentiate the acquisition of foreseeability from commission and intentionality rules in children.
• To control for intentionality inferences using an "omniscient narrator" technique.

Main Methods:

• A study involving 5-15-year-old children.
• Utilized an "omniscient narrator" to present scenarios, controlling for intentionality.
• Assessed children's attributions of responsibility based on different rules.

Main Results:

• Children first apply the commission rule, followed by the intentionality rule.
• The foreseeability rule is adopted around 11 years of age.
• The "omniscient narrator" technique successfully controlled for intentionality inferences.

Conclusions:

• The acquisition of responsibility attribution rules follows a developmental sequence: commission, then intentionality, and finally foreseeability.
• Foreseeability attribution emerges in later childhood, aligning with cognitive development.
• The study provides empirical support for the developmental complexity of foreseeability in moral reasoning.