How peer relationships influence adolescents' reasoning about theft-based moral transgressions

Two studies (N_total = 1,153) investigated how adolescents reason about whether to report a transgression committed by a close friend versus distant classmate. In Study 1, sixth-ninth graders (M_age = 12.36 years, SD_age = 1.14 years; 55% girls, 44% boys; 2% Asian, 63% Black, 13% Latino, 7% multiracial, 7% White; low-income urban schools) were less willing to report close friends than distant classmates, for both high- and low-severity thefts. In Study 2, seventh-eighth graders (M_age = 12.87 years, SD_age = 0.07 years; 48% girls, 45% boys; 2% Asian, 2% Black, 3% Latino, 85% White, 2% multiracial; 29% free/reduced lunch) said they both actually would and morally should report close others less than distant others, but relationship affected "would" judgments more than "should" ones. In their explanations, participants most often appealed to practical outcomes, morality, and relationship to the transgressor-but frequency of these varied based on relationship to the transgressor and judgment type. These studies provide evidence that relational closeness influences both how adolescents reason about peers' transgressions and what they think is morally right to do-and that their reasoning involves both practical and moral considerations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).