How sorry? Young children's forgiveness is sensitive to transgressors' depth of remorse

Forgiveness is one critical way in which we repair and maintain our cooperative relationships after transgressions. Young children are more forgiving of remorseful than unremorseful transgressors. However, it remains unknown whether children also consider the nature of the remorse. Specifically, are children more forgiving of transgressors who express deep remorse, and thus convey greater regret and cooperative intent, than those who show perfunctory remorse? In the present study, 5- and 6-year-old U.S.-based children (N = 51) viewed two videos of a transgressor intentionally tearing a victim's drawing. Transgressors provided either a simple or elaborate apology. Children at both ages evaluated the elaborate apologizer more positively and distributed more resources to her than the simple apologizer, and their justifications often referenced the nature of the transgressors' apology. Thus, already by age 5, children are sensitive not only to whether a transgressor expressed remorse but also to the depth of that remorse, and, at least after intentional transgressions, they judge transgressors who show deeper remorse to be more forgivable.