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Do 15-month-old infants prefer helpers? A replication of Hamlin et al. (2007)

Laura Schlingloff1, Gergely Csibra1,2, Denis Tatone1

  • 1Cognitive Development Center, Department of Cognitive Science, Central European University, Budapest, Hungary.

Royal Society Open Science
|May 21, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Researchers attempted to replicate a 2007 study on infant sociomoral evaluation. This study found that preverbal infants did not show a significant preference for helpful characters over hindering ones, failing to replicate the original findings.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Cognitive Science
  • Infant Behavior

Background:

  • Early research suggested preverbal infants prefer prosocial agents.
  • The replicability of infant sociomoral evaluation has been debated.
  • Methodological factors may influence observed infant preferences.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To replicate the 2007 Hamlin et al. study on infant preference for helpers.
  • To investigate the conditions for eliciting infant sociomoral evaluation.
  • To address debates on the replicability of infant cognition findings.

Main Methods:

  • Replication of the original study using 14- to 16-month-old infants.
  • Utilized a familiarization procedure with 3D animated video stimuli.
  • Incorporated detailed procedural guidance from the original researchers.

Main Results:

  • The study failed to replicate the original findings.
  • Only 50% of infants (16 out of 32) preferred the helper agent.
  • Infant preference for prosocial agents was not reliably elicited.

Conclusions:

  • The original findings on infant preference for helpers were not replicated.
  • Potential reasons include limitations of the procedure/stimuli or a smaller effect size.
  • Highlights challenges in replicating influential findings in infant cognition research.

Keywords:
infant cognitionmanual choice paradigmmoral judgementpartner choicesocial evaluation

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